Will Wright shares an evergreen post on patient engagement techniques developed for health care that also work for multiple situations where effective communication is key.
Pack Health is in the business of working with individuals to improve their health. We do this is using what many would call “Patient Engagement” techniques. This is a fancy way of saying we work with people to help them improve their health. Since we live, breath and eat this all day, we have gleaned a number of insights that are quite useful.
We are also keen to share our insights with those working on the same problem: both to elevate the conversation around Patient Engagement and to clarify how we intend to reverse the tide of chronic disease. A big task. But we put a man on the moon. We can do this.
Therefore every month or so we will be sharing more insights we have gleaned through our work at Pack Health such as:
What is the right balance of patient-led vs. coach-led engagement?
What key patient behavioral factors predict outcomes?
What are highly cost-effective strategies for achieving improved outcomes?
To start off, we have found that the following are key elements of successful patient engagement:
Make it personal – We have found that every individual has a different background, situation, and needs. Some are much more expert on their condition while others are truly novices. Helping people personalize their journey to improving outcomes is a critical factor in achieving those outcomes.
Make it short and frequent – the science on this is simple, human beings can only process so much information in any given day. If we are going to encourage change, we have to make those changes small but also encourage them everyday.
Combine technology with human interaction – People want to engage with people, especially on a topic as sensitive as their health. A human interaction, especially with a human being we like, also builds accountability to change. However, in order to scale change cost-effectively, we have to use technology.
Key points include:
- Personalizing journeys
- Appropriate and actionable information sharing
- Reminders and habits
Read the full article, Five factors that improve patient engagement, on LinkedIn.