Why Patient Engagement Strategies Fail and How To Fix Them

Patient engagement strategies are nearly a dime a dozen across healthcare. From advisory groups to patient portals, healthcare organizations everywhere understand the importance of a good patient experience. Even recent studies have proven that engaged patients result in better outcomes, lower costs, and a higher quality of care. 

However, most patient engagement initiatives seem to fail because they neglect to connect with patients in a meaningful way. Your organization may be checking off the boxes with typical strategies like patient surveys and media campaigns, but are you actually delivering something of value to your patients? 

Given the availability of technology, it's natural for patients to anticipate the doctor's office as a resource for finding answers and solutions to actively oversee their well-being. To fulfill this expectation, healthcare providers must adopt patient engagement strategies that are convenient and easily accessible. These strategies empower patients to make informed decisions about their health while also keeping them connected when they aren’t in the office.

Here are a couple of strategies to keep patients engaged and satisfied. 

Engage Patients Outside of Office Visits 

As most patients only spend a few hours a year in their doctor's office, keeping them engaged outside of regular office hours is essential. But this doesn't mean simply just sending emails to remind them about upcoming appointments. Patients want an immersive experience where they feel valued and their needs are met. Whether this is a patient portal or a mobile platform, providing your patients with an easily accessible outlet to field questions, supply post-visit services, and messaging capabilities is an excellent way of keeping them engaged across their journey. 

Add a Personalized Touch 

Every patient is different, and each one deserves their own unique experience. Unfortunately,, most healthcare organizations provide a typical "one size fits all" strategy for patient engagement, sending out the same old messages through the same old channels to every patient. This may be effective for certain individuals, but not all of them. 

When you personalize patient engagement, you reinforce that the patient is heard and their unique needs are fulfilled. These customized experiences allow patients to feel more in control as they navigate different stages of their healthcare journey. Moreover, personalized patient engagement strengthens the patient's sense of being heard and establishes a collaborative healthcare partnership. By tailoring interactions to individual preferences, healthcare providers empower patients with a proactive role in decision-making, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and satisfying healthcare experience. But you can't create a personalized experience if you don't…

Know Your Patients (Segmentation) 

The most successful patient engagement strategies involve treating each patient as an individual. What may work for one patient might fail for another. This is why healthcare organizations must segment their patients based on demographics, psychographics, and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). Some of the primary factors to look for include: 

• Demographics: Basic details such as gender, age, and race can be used to categorize your patients, while more specific information like insurance credentials, medical history, and level of education can help narrow down distinct patient segments. 
• Psychographics: Similar to demographics, psychological criteria such as motivations, phobias, and personal values are considered to develop a better understanding of patient behavior and their persona. 
• Social Determinants of Health: Environmental factors such as a patient's residence, workplace, and leisurely activities determine their quality of life and accessibility to healthcare. 

Patient Engagement Strategies Wrapped-Up 

While patient engagement is recognized as crucial in healthcare, many strategies fail due to a lack of meaningful connection. To address this, healthcare providers must embrace a convenient, tailored, and easily accessible approach. Engaging patients beyond office visits, personalizing interactions, and understanding patient segments are critical in fostering a more inclusive and satisfying healthcare experience.