Patient engagement is a strong buzzword today, particularly at a time when the entire healthcare industry is taking the digital route.
The conventional system is fast evolving into a more efficient and highly effective one with better patient engagement in healthcare being a focal point.
In this context, mobile health apps now make a compelling case for themselves with a view towards bolstering patient engagement, enabling better care quality, easier management of medical records and data exchange, and taking care of several other tasks in the bargain.
There are several kinds of apps that can be leveraged in this context, including urgent or emergency care apps with alerts, general hospital apps for information and engagement, referral apps, outpatient apps, and tracking apps to name a few.
Mobile health apps are ushering in major changes for the entire mainstream healthcare ecosystem, enabling several aspects including the following:
This is one of the key things to note if a healthcare provider is wondering how to engage patients in their healthcare journey. This helps patients manage, store, and control their health records, while also enabling hospitals with population health management. Healthcare interoperability also goes up considerably throughout hospitals as a result.
This is another patient engagement-related feature. SMS notifications keep patients updated about ongoing treatments and appointments while giving them a robust feedback mechanism at the same time.
Another one of the unique patient engagement solutions is to have transparent information on the profiles of doctors, their credentials, their expertise, and soon. Healthcare providers can also leverage analytics for matching patients with specific doctors.
Patient engagement also goes up considerably with mobile health apps facilitating in-app consultations with doctors and healthcare providers. This can be either through video or text.
It can be integrated with the ability to instantly access patient history and dispatch prescriptions that patients can use thereafter. This can also solve the remote healthcare problem in under-served areas throughout the country.
At the same time, it also helps patients who wish to get timely advice without sitting in lines at outpatient centres. Tele-health is one of the biggest emerging trends in the global healthcare space and this is where mobile health apps hold the key towards its successful implementation.
Scheduling appointments with doctors can be a simple affair through suitable apps, completely eliminating the need for calls and anxiety. Patients can choose their doctors and book dates and times when they are available.
Patient engagement can also be boosted with app-based access to medicines and other essentials, based on prescriptions issued by doctors. At the same time, they can also avail of features like booking tests across a variety of categories, either at healthcare centers or their homes, depending on what is feasible.
There are several advantages to using mobile health apps for stellar patient engagement. These include the following:
Mobile health apps can enhance patient engagement with easier data management and access, appointment bookings, telehealth consultations, and higher control over healthcare treatments.
Mobile health apps should have features for data integration, appointment bookings, consultations, prescriptions, payments, test bookings, notifications, and other helpful resources.
Privacy concerns exist in terms of the proper management of confidential patient information in a secure manner by healthcare providers. The Cybersecurity and governance protocols have to be strong in this regard.
Healthcare providers can encourage more patients to use mobile health apps by advertising their offerings and promoting the key benefits of saving time, money, and energy.
