Patient Engagement
Maria, a 45-year-old mother, left her doctor’s office confused by terms like ‘hyperlipidemia’ and ‘statins.’ Overwhelmed, she turned to Google, only to be flooded with conflicting and alarming information. Anxiety gripped her. Sandy, facing the same diagnosis, had a different experience. His doctor took the time to provide clear, personalized explanations, leaving him reassured and confident in his treatment plan.
Maria and Sandy’s experiences reflect a larger issue – 36% of U.S. adults have limited health literacy, which affects how they engage with their care providers and influences the quality of outcomes! Despite having quick access to information, low health literacy remains a significant barrier to effective value-based healthcare, often leading to poor patient outcomes. By offering clear communication, personalized guidance, and easy-to-understand explanations, providers can empower patients to engage in their care confidently, leading to better outcomes.
Health literacy is to a patient what a map and basic language skills are to a traveler in a foreign country: essential tools that empower individuals to navigate complex systems, understand their surroundings, and make informed decisions without feeling lost or overwhelmed. Navigating the healthcare system can feel daunting, especially for those with limited health literacy. It can drastically hinder a patient’s care journey. When providers take an active role in improving their patients’ health literacy, they reduce confusion, ease decision-making, and ensure that patients can participate meaningfully in their own care.
In this blog, we’re exploring how the provider can gain better patient engagement in healthcare.
Speaking the Same Language
Imagine visiting a doctor who explains your condition in a language you fully understand. This speaking the same language concept, where both the patient and physician are aligned in their communication, creates trust. In the above example, when Maria hears terms like “hyperlipidemia” and “statins,” she feels confused and anxious. But if the doctor had explained it simply as “high cholesterol” and emphasized how medication and lifestyle changes can improve her health, Maria would have felt reassured. Like two people trying to communicate in different languages, the lack of health literacy can cause confusion, anxiety, and mistrust. When both patient and doctor speak the same language—clear, simple terms—the patient feels empowered.
Health literacy acts like that shared language—it empowers patients to make informed decisions, reducing anxiety and boosting confidence. By providing clear explanations, healthcare providers can reduce patient anxiety and boost confidence. Studies reveal that when providers foster trust through effective communication, patients show up to 30% better treatment adherence rates, thanks to improved understanding and rapport.
The emotional impact of trust, built by the provider, is profound. When patients feel heard and informed, they are more likely to actively engage, ask questions, and feel less intimidated by medical jargon. It is the provider’s responsibility to create this environment, where clear communication strengthens the patient-provider relationship, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.
Gamification
Gamification and interactive learning in healthcare alleviate fear, empower patients, and strengthen trust by turning complex health information into engaging, non-threatening experiences. By reducing anxiety through interactive games, patients feel more curious and accomplished. Gamification also empowers patients by encouraging active participation, giving them a sense of control through rewards and progress tracking. Finally, these tools foster deeper understanding of treatment plans, building confidence in both the care process and their healthcare provider, thereby strengthening trust.
Take for example, Fitbit’s leaderboards and challenges or Nike Run Club. Such initiatives create friendly competition, encouraging users to compete for virtual badges or take the most steps in a day. Nike Run Club offers personalized rewards, fostering motivation by allowing users to unlock achievements for running milestones. These gamified approaches transform daily fitness into an engaging experience.
Healthcare providers can benefit from similar strategies. You can integrate interactive quizzes or personalized health missions in your digital health tool for patient engagement to teach patients about conditions like diabetes or heart disease. You can reward the users for completing educational tasks or sharing progress regularly. By transforming learning into an interactive, game-like experience, health literacy becomes less intimidating, driving higher engagement. Gamification strategies have been shown to increase patient participation by 50% in some health interventions.
Interactive Learning
Providers can leverage patient engagement platforms with touch-screen-enabled learning experiences to offer personalized education that simplifies complex health information, making it easier for patients to comprehend and retain important details. By actively facilitating these interactive learning sessions, providers ensure that patients stay involved and motivated. Offering rewards or recognition for completing such activities further drives patient participation, leading to improved health literacy and engagement with their care.
Personalization
Gabriel and John, both managing diabetes, highlight how healthcare providers and patient engagement tools play a crucial role in personalizing care. Gabriel’s clinician, understanding the cultural importance of family in Hispanic communities, suggests family-driven meal preparation and provides resources in Spanish. This not only fosters Gabriel’s trust but also increases his engagement in managing his condition. In contrast, John, who values independence, is empowered through the use of a self-monitoring app that allows him to track his progress autonomously. Providers who respect individual preferences and leverage the right patient engagement tools ensure patients are more involved and achieve better outcomes.
Digital Health Literacy
Digital health tools are crucial for improving health literacy. For chronic care patients, apps that log daily activities and sync with devices like glucose monitors can provide real-time health updates. A diabetic patient using such an app may gain greater motivation to manage their condition proactively. Meanwhile, healthcare providers can better understand patient behaviors and adjust treatment plans, accordingly, fostering long-term behavior change and health improvements. Studies indicate that 75% of patients using digital health tools report feeling more informed and engaged in their care, illustrating the effectiveness of these technologies in boosting health literacy and improving outcomes.
Patient’s Experiential Knowledge
Maria’s transition from passive to proactive care illustrates the critical role providers play in fostering patient engagement. Providers not only guide her health literacy coaching but also leverage patient engagement tools to measure her experiential knowledge through customized questionnaires. These tools allow providers to assess Maria’s understanding of her condition, tailoring advice to her needs based on real-time feedback.
For example, Maria gains confidence in managing her symptoms and condition as her provider uses interactive digital health tools to monitor her progress. This deeper engagement boosts both Maria’s self-management skills and her provider’s trust in her ability to manage her care. Providers can then adjust treatment strategies based on periodic assessments of Maria’s knowledge and experiences, further enhancing engagement and optimizing care outcomes.
By aligning personalized education with measurable feedback, healthcare providers can shift patients like Maria from passive involvement to proactive engagement, significantly improving health outcomes and reducing readmissions by 25%. Health literacy goes beyond understanding—it empowers patients to apply knowledge effectively in real-life situations, a process that is strengthened by provider-driven engagement tools.
The Bigger Picture: Health Literacy’s Role in the Future of Value-Based Care
Health literacy and patient engagement are undeniably intertwined, forming the foundation of value-based care. As health literacy improves, patients become partners in their care, helping to drive better outcomes. But the question remains: are we truly unlocking the potential of health literacy to transform healthcare? If not, the time to act is now.
If patient engagement has been your blocker in value-based care, let’s connect to explore how blueBriX can help bridge the gap and unlock new possibilities for your organization.
About blueBriX
blueBriX is a powerful platform that offers the building blocks for digital health, enabling you to quickly launch differentiated digital health applications without starting from scratch. Everything you need for success in value-based care is seamlessly integrated into our blueBriX platform. blueBriX empowers healthcare providers with advanced patient engagement tools designed to foster deeper connections and enhance self-management. These solutions help providers track patient progress in real-time, enabling more informed decisions and personalized care adjustments. By using blueBriX’s high-engagement tools, such as remote monitoring, patient portals, and telehealth integration, providers can boost patient activation, adherence to treatment plans, and ultimately improve outcomes. blueBriX’s platforms streamline communication and provide insights, making it easier for providers to deliver proactive, value-based care while enhancing the overall patient experience.