People today rely heavily on technology for communication and access to information. Healthcare practitioners should take advantage of that and use technology to improve their patient engagement. 

Improving patient interest and active participation in their treatment is a guaranteed way to better health outcomes. So, read on to discover a few tips and ideas on how you can use technology to improve patient engagement.

3 Ways to Use Technology to Improve Patient Engagement

If you are not sure where to start, we give you three simple ideas you can use to engage your patients. They are simple, and you can implement them with a little outside help.

Create a Patient Portal

An online patient portal is a virtual place where patients can access information such as their medical history, test results, and current medication. Since healthcare staff don’t have the time to answer all questions in real-time, a patient portal is a perfect way where anyone can get accurate and up-to-date information instantly.

Patient portals are often filled with educational information answering the most common patient questions. When creating a patient portal, the most important thing is to make it secure and allow patients to log in with a username and unique password.

Interact With Patients Virtually

The best way to interact with patients virtually is to implement a secure messaging channel on your patient portal. That allows you to address their questions and eliminate the need for unnecessary visits and follow-ups. This is particularly important for patients living in rural and remote areas, who need to invest a lot of time and effort to come into the office for a face-to-face appointment.

In addition to instant messaging, you can use audio and video calls depending on your patient’s needs. Doing that can keep them engaged and motivated to follow the prescribed treatment.

You can also create a social media page to share some health tips and make your patients feel more comfortable with your practice. Just remember not to share any personal medicinal information on there.

Install Appointment Reminders

Today’s technology can send reminders to smartphones or other devices, ensuring that the patient doesn’t forget about the appointment. You can even set up a system where they can confirm or cancel upon seeing the notification, which goes directly into your system. That keeps your schedule up to date and allows you to fill in any cancellations on time.

Appointment reminders are crucial for specialty practices where patients have to wait for months for an appointment. 

The Benefits of Using Technology to Engage Patients

Technology helps patient engagement by:

• Improving communication
• Refining healthcare personalization
• Allowing access to correct medical information
• Boosting data collection and analysis
• Improving treatment adoption
• Providing online emotional support

So, if you want to improve your patient engagement but don’t know how, Peregrine Healthcare has a solution for you. We provide a range of services that can help your practice, including portal setup, website development, search engine optimization, and more. Feel free to contact us and learn more about what technologies we use to help you engage your patients.