Anyone who has built a social media account or asked an eight-year-old to troubleshoot a computer knows that there can be a huge difference in technical knowledge among any generation.
Digital natives, often defined as people born after 1980, tend to be easier, while some older people struggle to keep up with the technological tsunami.
This presents a challenge to medical practices that treat all generations: how to embrace patient engagement technology to benefit providers and patients without alienating or frustrating those who are not skilled or willing to try new things.
Fortunately, practice doesn’t have to take an omnipotent approach to this. With some vision and plans, they can create a digital interaction for patients that will meet their location and improve their experience while still realizing the benefits technology offers. Here are some best practices for deploying a patient engagement tool:
Easy to use design
Digital or analog tools are judged based on their effectiveness and ease of use. The fundamentals of digital design are keeping users in mind. A three-headed hammer might be impressive about design and design fun, but it’s not a good tool.
Even for those who are uncomfortable with technology, the patient engagement tool should be intuitive. Because they were meant to be used by all generations, portals are not a place to try unfamiliar designs or difficult-to-use interfaces. Tools themselves may be innovative, but interacting with them does not require problem solving. Aesthetics, while important, should be put in practicality.
This could mean avoiding multiple signatures, being able to complete certain tasks without signing, allowing caregivers to complete forms, optimizing mobile devices, etc. This may require practice to evaluate its current tools – this could be a collection of programs from different vendors and simplify their approach.
Make patient participation technology popular, not mandatory
Technology enthusiasts tend to forget that not everyone is excited about it. They are eager to enter new processes and procedures and are convinced that they will have better experience and that any obstacles will be easily overcome. And there are good reasons for the practice to be excited about their patients participating in the technology because it is so beneficial.
However, they should remember that not everyone has their own passion. Some patients have little technical acumen or patience to learning new knowledge. Some people are frightened by technology or don’t understand its needs.
Exercise should continue to provide these patients with the tools they are most suitable for inclusion, even if it means filling in paper forms in the waiting room and making an appointment reminder sent over the phone. This will preserve these patients and help ensure they get the care they need.
At the same time, these patients can be encouraged to try new engagement tools. The portal should provide guidance on usage and staff should be able to guide patients through the entire process. With this approach, even patients made by technology can realize the advantages of new tools and accept their advantages.
Let the patient choose
Patient participation technology should not be an all-or-nothing claim. While some users will take advantage of each feature, others will choose some.
For example, patients may be happy to schedule an appointment online, but fill out the form digitally on their phone or view the test results. The portal should allow users to select the features they want without having to stick to the various options. Over time, if users have good experience, they may adopt more and more tools.
Employees can check what tools patients use and ask if they need help with others.
Although patients are becoming increasingly comfortable with participating technology, it is important to have different levels of generational capability when deploying their tool suite. By considering the desire and ability of different generations for technology, practice can reduce the risk of alienating patients while still reaping the benefits of digital tools.
Photo: Anastasia Usenko, Getty Images
Gary Hamilton has led Intelichart since its inception in 2010. He brings a wealth of clinical and technical expertise related to consumer engagement and provider practice operations. Gary drives company strategy, product innovation and direction towards a common goal: to enable providers to successfully engage and empower their patients to achieve positive results. Over the years, Gary’s work has led to the evolution of Intelichart’s patient portal into a complete platform for engagement solutions that address automated patient schedules, appointment reminders, digital intakes, telehealth, patient feedback and population health planning. Prior to Intelichart, Gary held leadership positions in integrated healthcare solutions and Atlantic healthcare management.
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