Patient Engagement – Creative Ways to Increase Patient Engagement in Clinics

Here's some creative ways available to increase the patient engagements in clinic across the world.

April 29, 2019April 29, 2019

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India has one of the fastest growing healthcare markets in the world. Experts predict a threefold increase in this sector, reaching an Rs. 8.6 million mark by the end of 2022. The healthcare industry has also become one of the largest employers in the country, employing more than 40 million people who cater to approximately 8 million patients on an annual basis.

Such immense growth is mostly thanks to a growing GDP, availability of well-trained medical professionals, and a capable patient engagement system. More than 58% of all healthcare facilities in the country is privately owned, and emphasise heavily on doctor-patient interaction to improve customer satisfaction.

What is doctor-patient engagement?

Doctor-patient engagement is an essential part of healthcare services that assists an individual to take important decisions during his or her treatment. An increasing number of healthcare service providers are relying on better patient interaction to create a transparent and efficient decision-making process.

Studies show that professionals who actively engage treatment seekers regarding their medical conditions have achieved much better overall results. This has led to a significantly large number of healthcare service providers in India to employ better patient engagement solutions.

There are several ways how medical service providers can improve doctor-patient engagement in clinics. These include implementing new patient management techniques to dedicated portals for individuals to check their treatment and status.

Let’s take a look at how to implement better doctor-patient engagement.

Create better communication – Better line of communication between doctor and patient is one of the necessary aspects to improve patient management. Active and open communication over various means like email, SMS alerts, verbal and written medium are effective ways to foster better interaction between a doctor and a patient.
Medium and large scale healthcare centres can also implement Electronic Health Record-based communication systems to streamline the process.
Automate report generation and appointment scheduling process – Automated appointment scheduling and report generation process is another excellent method to improve engagement in healthcare clinics. Doctors can also implement mhealth, telehealth and mobile app-based systems to create a more streamlined approach. It can reduce operating costs and save a significant amount of time and manpower.
However, implementing and installing such a system can require a substantial amount of monetary backing. A medical professional can opt for an advance instead of using their working capital to pay for the necessary equipment.
Personalised patient-centric care – Patient engagement can be significantly improved with the help of a personalised regime for every individual. Doctors can involve patients to set a probable recovery goal and improve engagement in the treatment process. A personalisation recovery regime will involve the individual in the process and increase chances of a speedy improvement.

An increasing number of healthcare service providers are implementing techniques and tips for better patient engagement in India. A shared understanding of goals and involvement in the treatment process has increased the recovery rate significantly in recent years.