Patient Engagement Strategies

Using Shared Decision-Making to Enhance Informed Consent Conversations

by Sarai Rodriguez

When patients are tasked with making difficult medical choices, a patient decision aid (PDA), used as a part of the shared decision-making process, can be an effective strategy that boosts patient...

What Are HCAHPS Scores, Why Are They Important to Patient Satisfaction?

by Sara Heath

Healthcare is fully embracing the concept of consumerism, and with that comes the need for consumer and patient satisfaction—and reliable ways to measure that experience. Enter HCAHPS, or the Hospital Consumer Assessment of...

Patient Education, Nurses Cut Medication Adherence Woes by A Third

by Sara Heath

A group of researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine may have cracked the code on medication adherence, outlining two viable options involving patient education and nurse feedback to increase the number...

SDOH Screening Questions Accurately Predict Future Homelessness

by Sara Heath

Researchers may have uncovered two new SDOH screening questions to ask in the emergency department, with the questions accurately predicting future homelessness, according to new data in JAMA Network...

Aligning Care Coordination Work Amid Healthcare Workforce Shortage

by Sara Heath

Healthcare organizations nationwide are staring down competing priorities to increase care coordination for complex patients while staving off provider burnout for a dwindling workforce. It can sometimes feel like those goals are mutually...

Understanding Patient Rights to Medical Interpreters, Language Access

by Sara Heath

Offering patient access to medical interpreters can help healthcare organizations achieve multiple goals, ranging from delivering culturally competent care all the way to legal or regulatory compliance. Medical interpreters bridge the gap...

Patients with Social Determinants See 55% Chronic Disease Management

by Sarai Rodriguez

Health barriers driven by social determinants of health (SDOH) have worsened chronic disease management for patients dealing with hypertension, a Mayo Clinic Proceedings study concluded. Hypertension...

Are Proxy, Caregiver Responses for Patient-Reported Outcomes Valuable?

by Sara Heath

Proxy reports are a good stand-in for patient-reported outcomes when a patient can’t report their own symptoms or is otherwise incapacitated, researchers from the Regenstrief Institute wrote in...

Patient Engagement Key to Healthcare Consumerism Post-Pandemic

by Sara Heath

The healthcare consumerism scales are tipping toward stronger patient engagement, with just under one in five patients saying they are more likely to book their annual wellness checks after the...

61% of Patients Want Better Patient Engagement in 2022

by Sara Heath

Patients are ready to start accessing medical care and preventive screenings in a post-pandemic world, but they’re going to need a strong patient engagement boost, according to new data fielded...

Lessons Learned from Culturally Tailored Community-Based Health

by Sara Heath

Much has been made of the potential for community-based health to close racial health disparities, but new research in JAMA Network Open says those community programs are most effective when they are...

Is Text Messaging the Best Patient Outreach Tool for COVID-19 Vaccines?

by Sarai Rodriguez

Using text messaging for COVID-19 vaccine patient outreach was as effective as direct phone calls in getting patients to seek out the vaccine, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open,...

Telephone Follow-Up Improves ED Patient Education, Engagement

by Sara Heath

Better patient education and communication during the emergency department discharge process could be just a phone call away, according to a new study indicating telephone follow-up is a valid way to...

How Patient Engagement, Outreach Support Medication Adherence to PrEP

by Sara Heath

With the right combination of patient engagement, patient outreach, and medication adherence, Paul Lovely, the executive director at the CARE Center at Dignity Health, said it's completely realistic to tamp down on...

96% of Nurses Lack Tools Needed for Patient Engagement, Education

by Sara Heath

Nurses need more access to the time and tools needed to support patient engagement and education among an increasingly stigmatized chronic care patient population, according to surveying from Wakefield...

Removing Medical Abbreviations Can Boost Patient Portal Understanding

by Sarai Rodriguez

Medical abbreviations and acronyms have adverse effects on patient understanding of information during patient portal use, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health found. This is happening...

Digital Health Literacy: Why It’s Important and How to Improve It

by Sara Heath

More healthcare providers are leaning on patient engagement technologies to support self-management and better outcomes. But as the industry becomes more high-tech, digital health literacy becomes a greater threat to health...

How Do Patient Portals and Personal Health Records Differ?

by Sara Heath

Patient portals and personal health records (PHRs) are two primary patient engagement technologies enabling patient data access. Still, it can be hard to distinguish between the two. These tools have a lot of overlapping features, leading...

Why Patient Education Is Vital for Engagement, Better Outcomes

by Sara Heath

The healthcare industry has made many efforts to become more patient-centric, especially through its push for better patient engagement. However, in order to improve patient engagement, providers need...