![Future of Patient Engagement](images/future-patient-engagement.webp)
Future of Patient Engagement.
With technological advancements in the healthcare industry and patients becoming more willing to be engaged in self-healthcare, providers inevitably explore and implement various tools of patient engagement as it will be an undeniable part of healthcare in the future. "Patient engagement is the blockbuster drug of the century" - Leonard Kish.
Since patient centricity has become the priority, patient engagement has evolved and is continuing to evolve further. While self-management of health is stressed in patient engagement strategies, it is expected of the providers to take care of patient needs by establishing good communication with them and engaging them in their self-care with custom-made methods and understanding well that the methods cannot be one-size-fits-all.
Patient engagement has become more expansive and inclusive in its approach. It includes patients, providers, caregivers, friends and families, and also takes into view their finances or the lack of it. The aim is to provide a cohesive experience that can make the patients feel that the healthcare providers are invested in their well-being.
Healthcare systems are seeing a major shift from a provider-centric approach to a value-centric approach, with patient engagement being at the center of it all. In this method, though the already existing system of caring for the sick will still exist, healthcare will be more of taking care of the population as a whole by creating an integrated healthcare which will be a continuous one, i.e., the focus will be more about the population being healthy and not only about curing sickness. It will be more of a permanent and continuous process of healthcare. It will be an engagement of everyone at all times, for better healthcare.