Digital Health Solutions: An Important Tool in Patient Engagement

• This presentatIon outlines some questIons and observatIons to encourage critIcal thought about what how digital technologies can be brought into healthcare. • The context is the use of smartphones and applicatIons to support patIent engagement with the healthcare system.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerates Need to Improve Online Patient Engagement Practices to Enhance Patient Experience

Journal of Patient Experience ◽

10.1177/2374373520959486 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 657-664

Author(s):

Melanie A Meyer

Keyword(s):

Patient Experience ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Digital Health ◽

Rapid Change ◽

Great Majority ◽

Patient Experiences ◽

Online Health Information ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Care Processes ◽

Value Based Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid change in health care, accelerating the use of digital health services, including telehealth. Moreover, growth in value-based care has compelled consumers to become more engaged in care processes. It has also provided opportunities to enhance patient experiences by increasing patients’ access to online health information and services. This study assessed online patient engagement practices for 6 common patient touchpoints by reviewing the websites of the top 32 hospitals, including the top 10 children’s hospitals. The great majority of these hospitals provided some information related to these patient touchpoints. However, the scope and extent of task automation varied significantly and many options were not convenient. Based on this study, it is clear that patient experience can be enhanced by improving online patient engagement, particularly during the current global pandemic.

Download Full-text

Patient Engagement and the Design of Digital Health

Academic Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1111/acem.12692 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 754-756 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Faith Birnbaum ◽

Dana Lewis ◽

Rochelle K. Rosen ◽

Megan L. Ranney

Keyword(s):

Patient Engagement ◽

Digital Health

Download Full-text

Adoption of Digital Health Technologies in the Practice of Behavioral Health: Qualitative Case Study of Glucose Monitoring Technology (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18119 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Suepattra G May ◽

Caroline Huber ◽

Meaghan Roach ◽

Jason Shafrin ◽

Wade Aubry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Technology Adoption ◽

Data Management ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Digital Health ◽

Glucose Monitoring ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Monitoring Technologies

BACKGROUND Evaluation of patients with serious mental illness (SMI) relies largely on patient or caregiver self-reported symptoms. New digital technologies are being developed to better quantify the longitudinal symptomology of patients with SMI and facilitate disease management. However, as these new technologies become more widely available, psychiatrists may be uncertain about how to integrate them into daily practice. To better understand how digital tools might be integrated into the treatment of patients with SMI, this study examines a case study of a successful technology adoption by physicians: endocrinologists’ adoption of digital glucometers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to understand the key facilitators of and barriers to clinician and patient adoption of digital glucose monitoring technologies to identify lessons that may be applicable across other chronic diseases, including SMIs. METHODS We conducted focus groups with practicing endocrinologists from 2 large metropolitan areas using a semistructured discussion guide designed to elicit perspectives of and experiences with technology adoption. The thematic analysis identified barriers to and facilitators of integrating digital glucometers into clinical practice. Participants also provided recommendations for integrating digital health technologies into clinical practice more broadly. RESULTS A total of 10 endocrinologists were enrolled: 60% (6/10) male; a mean of 18.4 years in practice (SD 5.6); and 80% (8/10) working in a group practice setting. Participants stated that digital glucometers represented a significant change in the treatment paradigm for diabetes care and facilitated more effective care delivery and patient engagement. Barriers to the adoption of digital glucometers included lack of coverage, provider reimbursement, and data management support, as well as patient heterogeneity. Participant recommendations to increase the use of digital health technologies included expanding reimbursement for clinician time, streamlining data management processes, and customizing the technologies to patient needs. CONCLUSIONS Digital glucose monitoring technologies have facilitated more effective, individualized care delivery and have improved patient engagement and health outcomes. However, key challenges faced by the endocrinologists included lack of reimbursement for clinician time and nonstandardized data management across devices. Key recommendations that may be relevant for other diseases include improved data analytics to quickly and accurately synthesize data for patient care management, streamlined software, and standardized metrics. CLINICALTRIAL

Download Full-text

Digital engagement preferences of individuals aged 65 and older with cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.29_suppl.289 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (29_suppl) ◽

pp. 289-289

Author(s):

Matthew Allison ◽

Jonathan Patterson ◽

Stephen Burton ◽

Dhiren Patel ◽

Kelly Jean Brassil

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Digital Health ◽

Text Message ◽

Geriatric Oncology ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Demographic Differences ◽

Chi Square ◽

Facilitators And Barriers ◽

Digital Engagement

289 Background: Recent reviews suggest that digital solutions play a prominent role in the context of geriatric oncology. While interventions ranging from remote monitoring to nutrition and physical activity support have demonstrated feasibility in older adults (aged 65 and older), little is known about facilitators and barriers to eHealth uptake in older adults diagnosed with cancer. Insights into the digital engagement preferences of older adults with cancer may help to inform which platforms may be best aligned to optimal engagement and outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted to examine patient engagement preferences (phone, text and/or email) among older adults with cancer enrolled in a digital health coaching program. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences in patient engagement preferences by race. Results: Of 513 individuals, the majority (n = 308; 60%) preferred information be provided by phone, email and text, while 20% (n = 105) requested content by phone and text only. Less than 10% of the sample requested content via phone only (n = 45; 8%), phone and email, (n = 31; 6%), email only (n = 11, 2%), or by email and text (n = 9; 2%). Interestingly, adults aged 65 and older had a significant predisposition to phone only communication (8.77%) compared to 2.25% in the general oncology population (p < 0.001). Among adults aged 65 and older with a phone preference, there were on average 8.39 calls over the course of the program with an average of 9.51 minutes per call over the course of 12-weeks. For those with text message preference, there were an average of 14.17 outbound and 8.30 inbound texts over the 12-week engagement, and for those with email preference a 62.38% open rate was observed. Retention over a three month coaching period was highest among those engaged via phone, text and email (56.17%), and email only (54.55%). Race was significantly related to engagement preference, with black members twice as likely (p < 0.001) to choose phone and text, and three times as likely (p < 0.001) to choose phone only compared with white members. However, no differences emerged between race and retention. Conclusions: Engagement preference was associated with differences in retention and race. Our results highlight the importance of offering different mechanisms for patient engagement and the need for attention to specific demographic differences such as race, which may impact access to and preference for engagement types when employing digital health solutions for older adults with cancer.

Download Full-text

The Impact of an Automated Patient Digital Engagement Application on Revisit Reduction (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17839 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pothik Chatterjee ◽

Adam Michael Beck ◽

Jenna Ashley Levenson Brager ◽

Daniel James Durand

Keyword(s):

Health System ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Digital Health ◽

General Medicine ◽

Inpatient Setting ◽

Hospital Inpatient ◽

Digital Engagement ◽

The Impact ◽

Improve Patient

BACKGROUND Revisits within 30-days to an emergency department (ED), observation care unit, or inpatient setting following patient discharge continue to be a challenge, especially in urban settings. In addition to the consequences for the patient, these revisits have a negative impact on a health system’s finances in a value based care or global budget environment. LifeBridge Health, a community health system in Maryland, implemented an automated patient digital engagement application as part of the overall organization’s digital health strategy to improve patient engagement and reduce revisits to the ED. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a customized automated digital patient engagement application (GetWell Loop) to reduce 30-day revisits after home discharge from an ED or hospital inpatient setting. METHODS The LifeBridge Health Innovation Department and ED staff from two participating health system hospitals collaborated with the GetWell Network to customize their patient engagement application (GetWell Loop) with automated check-in questions and resources. An application link was e-mailed to adult patients discharged home from the ED. A retrospective study of ED visits for patients treated for general medicine and cardiology conditions between 8/1/2018 through 7/31/2019 was conducted using CRISP, Maryland’s state-designated health information exchange. We also used data within GetWell Loop to track patient activation and engagement. The primary endpoint was a comparison of ED patients that experienced a 30-day revisit and who did or did not activate their GetWell Loop account. Secondary end points included overall activation rate and the rate of engagement as measured by the number of logins, alerts, and comments generated by patients through the application. Statistical significance was calculated using the Fisher’s exact test with a P-value < 0.05. RESULTS Patients discharged from the ED who were treated for general medicine conditions (n=2087) and activated their GetWell Loop account experienced a 30-day revisit rate of 17.3% compared to 24.6% who did not activate their account (P<.001). For patients treated for cardiology conditions (n = 1779), 12.8% of patients who activated their GetWell account experienced a 30-day revisit compared to 17.7% not activating their account (P=.01). During this one-year study, 25% of all emergency patients receiving an invite to use the digital application activated their account (n=4125), logged in a total of 8935 times, generated 1911 alerts, and submitted 771 open ended comments/questions. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate the potential value of digital health applications to reduce 30-day revisit rates. The results also indicate patients are willing to utilize a digital application post-discharge to proactively engage in their own care. LifeBridge Health’s experience demonstrates that healthcare systems can leverage automated mobile applications to improve patient engagement and successfully impact clinical outcomes at scale.

Download Full-text

Psychographic Segmentation: Another Lever for Precision Population Brain Health

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.783297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Erin Smith ◽

Agustin Ibanez ◽

Helen Lavretsky ◽

Michael Berk ◽

Harris A. Eyre

Keyword(s):

Patient Engagement ◽

Digital Health ◽

Population Level ◽

Prevention Programs ◽

Brain Health ◽

Communication Preferences ◽

Personalized Care ◽

Care Experience ◽

Dementia Prevention ◽

The Way

Dementia prevention interventions that address modifiable risk factors for dementia require extensive lifestyle and behavior changes. Strategies are needed to enhance engagement and personalization of the experience at a population level. Precision Population Brain Health aims to improve brain health across the lifespan at a population level. Psychographic segmentation is a core component of Precision Population Brain Health with untapped potential. Psychographic segmentation applies behavioral and social sciences to understanding people’s motivations, values, priorities, decision making, lifestyles, personalities, communication preferences, attitudes, and beliefs. Integrating psychographic segmentation into dementia care could provide a more personalized care experience and increased patient engagement, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced costs. Psychographic segmentation can enhance patient engagement for dementia and shift the clinical paradigm from “What is the matter?” to “What matters to you?” Similar benefits of psychographic segmentation can be provided for dementia caregivers. Developing dementia prevention programs that integrate psychographic segmentation could become the basis for creating a shared framework for prevention of non-communicable diseases and brain health disorders at a population level. Integrating psychographic segmentation into digital health tools for dementia prevention programs is especially critical to overcome current suboptimal approaches. Applying psychographic segmentation to dementia prevention has the potential to help people feel a sense of empowerment over their health and improve satisfaction with their health experience—creating a culture shift in the way brain health is approached and paving the way toward Precision Population Brain Health.

Download Full-text

Adoption of Digital Health Technologies in the Practice of Behavioral Health: Qualitative Case Study of Glucose Monitoring Technology

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/18119 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. e18119

Author(s):

Suepattra G May ◽

Caroline Huber ◽

Meaghan Roach ◽

Jason Shafrin ◽

Wade Aubry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Technology Adoption ◽

Data Management ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Digital Health ◽

Glucose Monitoring ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Monitoring Technologies

Background Evaluation of patients with serious mental illness (SMI) relies largely on patient or caregiver self-reported symptoms. New digital technologies are being developed to better quantify the longitudinal symptomology of patients with SMI and facilitate disease management. However, as these new technologies become more widely available, psychiatrists may be uncertain about how to integrate them into daily practice. To better understand how digital tools might be integrated into the treatment of patients with SMI, this study examines a case study of a successful technology adoption by physicians: endocrinologists’ adoption of digital glucometers. Objective This study aims to understand the key facilitators of and barriers to clinician and patient adoption of digital glucose monitoring technologies to identify lessons that may be applicable across other chronic diseases, including SMIs. Methods We conducted focus groups with practicing endocrinologists from 2 large metropolitan areas using a semistructured discussion guide designed to elicit perspectives of and experiences with technology adoption. The thematic analysis identified barriers to and facilitators of integrating digital glucometers into clinical practice. Participants also provided recommendations for integrating digital health technologies into clinical practice more broadly. Results A total of 10 endocrinologists were enrolled: 60% (6/10) male; a mean of 18.4 years in practice (SD 5.6); and 80% (8/10) working in a group practice setting. Participants stated that digital glucometers represented a significant change in the treatment paradigm for diabetes care and facilitated more effective care delivery and patient engagement. Barriers to the adoption of digital glucometers included lack of coverage, provider reimbursement, and data management support, as well as patient heterogeneity. Participant recommendations to increase the use of digital health technologies included expanding reimbursement for clinician time, streamlining data management processes, and customizing the technologies to patient needs. Conclusions Digital glucose monitoring technologies have facilitated more effective, individualized care delivery and have improved patient engagement and health outcomes. However, key challenges faced by the endocrinologists included lack of reimbursement for clinician time and nonstandardized data management across devices. Key recommendations that may be relevant for other diseases include improved data analytics to quickly and accurately synthesize data for patient care management, streamlined software, and standardized metrics.

Download Full-text