Last Friday, we launched our patient engagement blog series with a focus on improving patient compliance. In this week’s blog, we’re going to examine how patient engagement can lead to improved communication between care teams and with patients.
In recent years, we have seen research published that demonstrates how good communication and patient satisfaction are strongly interconnected1 and how care teams listening and providing explanations are directly linked to reductions in readmissions2.
Let’s dive in.
Enhanced Patient-Provider Communication
Engaged patients who are monitoring their health data remotely can communicate with their healthcare providers in a timely manner, providing valuable information that can guide treatment decisions.
Enhanced patient-provider communication is a key benefit of remote patient monitoring (RPM), as it can improve the quality of care, increase patient satisfaction, and ultimately lead to better health outcomes. Here are some ways in which RPM can enhance patient-provider communication:
- Real-time Data Sharing: VitalTech RPM enables patients to share their health data with their healthcare providers as it is collected, allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients’ health status and make timely interventions when needed. Real-time data sharing also allows for more effective and efficient communication between patients and healthcare providers, as it eliminates the need for patients to wait for appointments or for healthcare providers to wait for updates from patients. For example, if a patient with heart failure has an RPM device that measures their weight and blood pressure, a sudden increase in weight or blood pressure may indicate a potential health problem. With VitalTech, the provider can be alerted to the change, reach out to the patient via a secure message, audio call or video call, and intervene as needed.
- Patient Empowerment: The VitalCare application empowers patients to take an active role in their care. Patients can monitor their health data in real-time and adjust their behavior or request changes to their treatment plan as needed. The questionnaires and surveys, as well as messages and calls from the care team make patients feel more connected to their healthcare providers by making them feel as if their providers are invested in their care. Our goal at VitalTech is to enable patients to take an active role in managing their health. Patients who are actively engaged in their care are more likely to ask questions, provide feedback, and collaborate with their healthcare providers to develop effective care plans.
- Personalized Care Plans: With VitalTech as your virtual care partner, healthcare providers are able to create personalized care plans tailored to the individual patient’s needs. By collaborating with patients and taking into account their collected health data from devices, as well as responses from questionnaires and surveys, healthcare providers can develop care plans that are more effective for each individual patient. When patients feel seen and heard, it can lead to better adherence to treatment plans and improved health outcomes.
- Remote Consultations: Patients have the ability to communicate with their care teams through VitalCare’s HIPAA secure portal, as well as see notes on care reviews and progress by the physicians. Whether a patient is provided a tablet or has brought their own device, they are able to have remote consultations with their healthcare providers, eliminating unnecessary visits to the emergency rooms or in-person appointments, saving patients time and reducing the risk of exposure to infectious diseases. This can be particularly beneficial for patients with chronic conditions who require frequent monitoring and management.
With VitalTech’s digital health solutions, patient-provider communication can improve the quality of care, increase patient satisfaction, and lead to better health outcomes. By enabling real-time data sharing, personalized care plans, remote consultations, and patient empowerment, RPM can enhance communication between patients and healthcare providers to improve the overall quality of care.
Patient education materials, questionnaires, surveys, provider workflows, self-monitoring enablement, actionable insights and personalized care plans are just a few of the standard features utilized by VitalTech clients to enhance provider-patient communications.
If you’re interested in learning how VitalTech can empower your care teams and patients, reach out to us today.
