Before the digital world grew to include the Internet, email and mobile technologies, the main sources of engagement between patients and their healthcare providers were either in person or via phone. While these methods of communication can be effective, they can also be quite time-consuming for busy physicians and patients.
As the healthcare industry continues to advance digitally, mobile technology has created a time-efficient, trackable mode of communication, which in turn has lead to increased patient engagement. Take a look at five of the key ways mHealth and patient engagement go hand-in-hand:
1. Scheduling
By using an mHealth application in your practice, your practice can communicate with your patients whenever you deem it necessary. For example, many practices experience a high percentage of no-shows for daily appointments. With a built-in reminder system, these apps can send appointment reminders requiring patient confirmation, via email, text or push notification, leading to fewer no-shows and more predictable physician schedules.
2. Tracking
Engaging with patients via mobile applications allows physicians to monitor their patients actions. Some mHealth apps can send procedure preparation reminders, allowing patients to mark each step as done once they have completed it. This information is available to the medical practice, where the patients physicians can see the level of their engagement and whether or not they have followed the necessary steps.
3. Access to Health Information
Some mHealth applications allow patients access to their medical information whenever they wish to view it. Additionally, some apps notify patients when their test or procedure results are ready, notifying and prompting them to view them. Physicians no longer need to worry about patients receipt of their results, as this can be trackable, as well. As such, based on these results, physicians are able to prompt patients to take the next step in improving their health and provide them with instructions, if need be.
4. Lower Readmission Rate
Thanks to mHealth technology, patients are now able to engage with their healthcare providers regarding their progress following a treatment or procedure. Throughout a patients recovery period, his or her physician can monitor the progress or decline he or she is experiencing, allowing an intervention before the patients condition worsens. This, in turn, lowers hospital readmission rates.
5. Improved Healthcare
Increasing patient engagement leads to an improved overall healthcare experience for both healthcare providers and patients. mHealth applications have greatly benefitted the industry thus far, and as more healthcare organizations adopt the use of mobile technology, the landscape of the healthcare industry will continue to improve.
Patient engagement is critical for every successful healthcare organization. As more patients transition to the use of mobile devices, they will expect to be able to use these devices to communicate with their healthcare providers and access their health information. As your practice contemplates the use of an mHealth application, it is important to choose the right one, that will best suit your needs.
Are you ready to join the mHealth movement? Consider Smart Clinic, a HIPAA-compliant mHealth application that encompasses and enhances patient engagement, satisfaction and compliance. Download our white paper to learn more!
