A recent report by health insurance company Coventry highlighted patient engagement as a critical component of healthcare – with reference to patient compliance.
The whitepaper (http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2015/05/12/263315.html), published in May 2015, stated that patients are often noncompliant with doctor instructions, particularly related to pharmaceutical drugs. Approximately 15 to 20% of patients refill medications, the study found. Out of that group, just half actually take the pills.
“When the prescription is for a lifestyle change – such as weight loss, smoking cessation or exercise – compliance is even worse,” said the report.
Part of the issue is that the notion of compliance seems to suggest that the patient is not playing an active role. But there is a growing trend for patients to take a more active role in their treatment plan. With that in mind, many healthcare outfits are transitioning from a patient compliance approach to a patient engagement approach.
Optimizing interoperability and patient engagement
Both interoperability and patient engagement are integrated into the general mission of healthcare and are fundamentally built into the third platform of computing. Featuring technologies such as cloud and mobile, the third platform has fueled the rise of the Internet of Things, a booming field for which healthcare writer Jennifer Bresnick has listed http://healthitanalytics.com/news/five-core-competencies-for-the-healthcare-internet-of-things engagement and interoperability both as “core competencies.”
If you want to get your patients more engaged, explore the interoperability options offered through the world’s only healthcare-exclusive cloud.
