Patient engagement is a growing trend in the healthcare industry around the globe. Patient engagement has been shown to lead to better clinical outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease overall costs. Medical students, nurses, healthcare providers, and executives now acknowledge how valuable it can be for hospitals and doctors to change how they approach patients. With more people noticing this trend, many medical institutions have already invested in tools that show their patients how they can become engaged with their treatment or care. This article discusses six vital reasons why patient engagement matters in healthcare.

1. Improved Clinical Outcomes

To help patients become more involved in their health care, various tools have been created to educate and engage patients. Medical institutions that have invested in tools that help patients stay engaged are seeing lower readmission rates, increased scores on clinical outcomes, and improved patient satisfaction scores. Hospitals implementing patient engagement programs show lower readmission rates while having significantly higher patient satisfaction ratings. These improved clinical outcomes are because patient engagement has been shown to help improve “shared decision making”, which is a process of educating patients about what the best course of action is for their overall health.

2. Improved Quality of Care

When patients are involved in their care, they can become more involved in certain aspects of the treatment at their hospital’s discretion. Patient engagement will often lead doctors to eliminate bad habits that they may have. There has been a new trend emerging in the healthcare industry involving patients taking pictures of their medication, vitamins, and supplements. Medical institutions have started using these pictures as quality control to ensure that doctors aren’t making harmful mistakes.

3. Decreased Costs to Hospitals and Clinics

With an increase in quality care comes an increased cost in patient satisfaction scores. Patients who are more engaged in their care are much happier than patients who feel like they aren’t a part of the process. With hospitals specifically looking for quality patient satisfaction scores, there is no better way to do this than by showing them how to become involved in their treatment. Patient engagement will lead to higher patient satisfaction scores and, more importantly, lower costs across the board.

4. Improved Safety and Security in Hospitals

Many patients who have become more involved in their care have shown a lower potential for violence toward hospital staff and other patients. Improving patient satisfaction scores can directly correlate to reduced violence rates and better scores on hospital safety and security audits. This is because patients engaged with their care are less likely to act out, and they will also feel like they are receiving better care than other guests at the hospital.

5. Better Solicited Feedback and Recommendations

Patients who feel more involved in their health are more likely to provide favorable feedback, suggest to their friends and family members, and return to the same place when needed further care. When patients share their great stories with family members or even on social media, it can flood new patients to the medical facility. Many medical institutions are investing in tools that encourage patient recommendation sharing.

6. Improved Revenue for Hospitals and Clinics

With an increased number of patients and higher patient satisfaction scores come an increase in revenue for healthcare facilities. Many hospitals are beginning to invest more in patient engagement because the benefits will often outweigh the costs of creating tools that allow patients to be more involved in their care. The amount of money earned by medical institutions can continue to grow if they incorporate patient recommendation sharing into their engagement programs.

In conclusion, many medical facilities have already taken notice of the benefits of patient engagement and are beginning to invest more in tools that allow for a more engaged patient. With more hospitals and medical institutions making this change, patients will likely see better results when seeking treatment.