Technology helps improve the patient experience
The health industry relies on technology for numerous purposes: billing, programming, and documentation, just to name a few. And a new survey found that suppliers increasingly rely on technology to engage patients.
The survey was conducted by a Patient Involvement Company and the non-profit Digital Health Coalition which included responses from over 200 physicians while the survey was conducted.
95% of the doctors interviewed said that sometimes or almost always they use technology to better educate or engage with patients .
“I think a big reason why we are seeing such a high use of patient engagement tools is that doctors really believe in the power of technology to provide better care,” PatientPoint founder and CEO, Mike Collette, emailed.
In fact, 77% of the interviewed doctors agreed that technology helps improve communication in healthcare and the overall experience of patients.
Healthcare Marketing must focus on the use of new digital technologies
Digging deeper, the survey asked what types of technologies doctors are currently using to engage or educate patients. The best answers included screens for digital waiting rooms (58%), mobile apps (46%) and tablets for examination rooms (44%).
Mike Collette also noted that these tools allow all providers to have more meaningful conversations with patients:
The waiting room screens allow patients to request information on treatment options, enroll in patient portals and adhere to screening and vaccination screenings. In the examination room, patients can take a deep dive into their condition next to their doctor via rich media such as anatomical models and videos. So patients can continue their education and conversation with the doctor on mobile apps before and after the visit, taking things to the starting point.
Rich media is a digital advertising term for an ad that includes features such as video, audio, or other elements that encourage users to interact and engage with content.
While text ads use words and display images, rich media ads offer new ways to engage with an ad. In fact, the ad can expand, become mobile, and so on. In addition, you can access aggregate metrics on audience behavior, including the number of expansions, multiple exits, and video completions to get even more detailed data on your campaign’s success.
Rich media also allows agencies to create complex announcements that can trigger a strong response from the user. Ads that use HTML5 technology can include multiple levels of content in a single placement: videos, games, tweet ads, and so on.
Patients must be involved not only within health facilities
Other solutions currently used by doctors to implement an effective Healthcare Marketing strategy include check-in tablets (34%), digital back-office screens (33%) and interactive touch screens in the examination room (28%).
Asked about what types of technology they are interested in using in the future, 52% of doctors have indicated check-in tablets. Furthermore, two indications stood out as important contact points: the waiting room and the examination room. 36% of physicians are interested in digital waiting room screens, while 45% want tablets for examination rooms and 44% want interactive touch screens in the examination room.
But patient involvement doesn’t just happen in the office. This is perhaps the reason why 54% of doctors said they wanted help connecting to patients before and after their visits. Respondents said they were interested in using a variety of technologies to connect even outside the office, including e-mail (59%), mobile apps (48%) and SMS messages (39%).
