A big buzzword these days in healthcare is patient engagement, which simply means the goal of getting consumers to take on a bigger role in keeping healthy.
Web technology is playing a significant role in helping hospitals deliver better care via closer contact with patients, says a new survey of 369 hospital executives from the Massachusetts Medical Society and the New England Journal of Medicine.
The survey found that nearly three-fourths (69%) of hospitals have some form of patient engagement initiative. But so far only 14% of hospitals say their patient engagement strategy is making a major difference in the quality of care or outcomes compared with 34% that say the difference is moderate. For most hospitals—38%—a web-based patient portal was the primary tool used to drive patient engagement compared with secure e-mail at 14%, patient data only accessed through an electronic health record at 9% and 8% through an online scheduling and reminder tool.
Hospitals are using web tools such as portals more than social media to better communicate with patients. 88% of hospitals say they have a patient portal plan to deploy one within 24 months. 77% and 72%, respectively, are using or plan to use secure e-mail and online scheduling and reminder tools to better engage patients. 68% also use—or will—patient data only accessed through an electronic health record to reach out more to patients. Read More
