Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
It’s been said that patient engagement develops naturally when there is a regular, focused communication between patient and provider and it leads to behaviors that meet or more closely approach treatment guidelines. It is also believed that patients engaged in their own care make fewer demands on the health care system and more importantly, they experience improved health. Patients who are educated about both their condition and their care are also patients who are most likely to get and stay healthy. In fact, many believe that empowering patients to actively process information, decide how that information fits into their lives, and act on those decisions is a key driver to improving care and reducing costs.
Citation preview
Patient Engagement in Healthcare Defined – How Does it Improve Health and Reduce the Cost of Care?
Patient Engagement in Healthcare Defined – How Does it Improve Health and Reduce the Cost of Care?
It’s been said that patient engagement develops naturally when there is a regular, focused communication between patient and provider and it leads to behaviors that meet or more closely approach treatment guidelines. It is also believed that patients engaged in their own care make fewer demands on the health care system and more importantly, they experience improved health. Patients who are educated about both their condition and their care are also patients who are most likely to get and stay healthy. In fact, many believe that empowering patients to actively process information, decide how that information fits into their lives, and act on those decisions is a key driver to improving care and reducing costs.
Research shows that informed and engaged patients take a more active role in their own care and furthermore, health care organizations are slowly discovering how patient engagement contributes to their financial and quality objectives. Patient engagement essentially revolves around the theory that if patients understand their condition, know the symptoms to watch for, know why they’re taking medication for example and how to implement the necessary lifestyle changes, the chances of them getting and staying healthy are significantly improved and when you proactively engage patients in their care, the quality of that care improves.
Listen in to our latest podcast with Brad Tritle, Director of Business Development for Vitaphone Health Solutions, chair of the HIMSS Social Media Task Force and contributing editor of the HIMSS book Engage! Transforming Healthcare through Digital Patient Engagement as we discuss the current state of patient engagement in healthcare, how it is defined, whether it really does have a significant impact on improving health and reducing the cost of care, what engagement initiatives are providers using and what the future of patient engagement may look like.
