Patient Engagement Tech Considerations for Healthcare Consumerism

The technology needs a massive shift to become consumer-friendly. Because most patient engagement technologies were designed with the in-person healthcare encounter in mind, they aren’t “truly digital” and don’t exactly meet patient needs, especially after a year that has seen an explosion in remote patient care.

A truly consumer-centered approach to this would allow patients to update paperwork and upload data from remote patient monitoring devices. The EHR would also pre-population important clinical information.

Additionally, healthcare organizations should use market data to better understand the needs and wants of the healthcare consumer.

When organizations have deployed a new consumer engagement tool, it will be essential to carve out performance measures that go beyond patient satisfaction scores. Although patient experience is a key motivator for adopting consumer technology, brand loyalty and efficiency are also key to clinic or hospital improvement.