HealthMay 08, 2019

How engaging patients can help improve medication adherence

Only about half of patients stick to long-term medication therapy. A key factor in identifying the patients who need more attention and improving their medication adherence can be the use of technology to interact with patients outside of care settings.

Shara Cohen, Vice President of Customer Experience for Clinical Effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer, Health, writes about helping organizations achieve strategic goals through the use of patient engagement programs in Readmissions News.

She notes, “Developing effective IVR [Interactive Voice Response] programs that make patients feel comfortable enough to interact, even on uncomfortable topics, requires an artful approach that brings together behavioral science, clinical expertise, and best practices in Voice User Interface, or VUI, design. The payoff is that — although they are technology-based — these communications can create an emotional connection and sense of trust with patients.”

Cohen cites how one healthcare provider used an IVR program to reach almost 3,700 patients with poor medication adherence. Of those, nearly 2,400 patients interacted with the calls, and 544 informed the care teams about their difficulties with taking medication — with more than half scheduling follow-up visits.

View the article in Readmissions News
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