The healthcare industry’s overarching goal is to ensure that proper care is delivered to its patients in every situation. There are, however, times when the patient feels uncertain and confused about different treatment options. In a resource-constrained healthcare system, it can be a struggle to properly align patient engagement and education with new treatments being offered. But regardless of whether a patient is having a major surgery or a routine out-patient procedure, well-designed engagement and education can make their journey a more pleasant one.

For example, if a patient has been diagnosed with aortic stenosis (a condition that may require heart surgery), the patient and their family find themselves very anxious and concerned. Several proven treatment options exist for this condition but if not explained clearly and promptly, the patient and their family will feel confused and worried. The patient must be educated right at the point of care, meaning their input and understanding are given priority. It is also important to remember that patients are not only concerned about the “clinical procedure” but also about things like “days off from work”, “dietary changes”, “social impact”, etc.

There are various strategies that healthcare providers have begun to implement to deliver patient engagement more effectively and help them make informed decisions:

The World Health Organization (WHO) offers sound advice for developing a more engaging medical practice. “Collecting information about the patient experience and outcomes of care may be the starting point for engaging patients. Such information can be collected through surveys, informal online feedback, interviews or focus group discussions. Feedback about the patient experience provides insight into patient needs, preferences and values, which can help to improve the quality and safety of care.”

According to the American Medical Association, an excellent place to start is to offer patients access to specialized resources that will provide more information about their options. Some various societies and organizations exist to support patients through their different medical decisions and treatment plans.

Over 45% of the world’s population has a smartphone. Health practitioners and other services within the industry are beginning to utilize this instant communication medium by creating apps and web platforms that can provide valuable information to patients in real-time. It’s easier than ever to build relationships and trust while opening up communication between practitioners and their patients.

New technologies like Virtual Reality can also be used at the point-of-care to help patients and family members to visually understand their options. Being 300% more effective than videos, VR is a great tool for helping patients feel empowered and informed.

More health organizations and practices are taking guided steps in the right direction toward a more engaging industry, however, there is still more work that needs to be done. As members of the healthcare industry, you can leverage the advancement of technology in delivering better patient engagement.

Better Patient Engagement leads to Informed Decision Making was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.