Strategies for Patient Engagement: Realistic or Idealistic?

Medical Economics published a column last week focusing on our patients’ “lack of engagement” and “poor health literacy.” 

The article describes lack of patient engagement, which can include poor compliance with medications, treatment plans, and follow-up appointments. 

Poor health literacy contributes to a lack of engagement. Patients with inadequate information, context, and perspective result in poor health literacy. Poor health literacy ultimately leads to patients experiencing difficulty in making optimal healthcare choices.  

Why do we care?

Studies show poor health literacy and patient engagement lead to worse health outcomes. 

The author suggests clinicians can help by:

• Sharing success habits with patients 
  • Investigate how your patients succeeded in following their treatment regimens and share these strategies with other patients
• Verify patient understanding in the office
  • Incorporate “teach backs” into your conversation
• Verify patient understanding and action outside the office 
  • Develop methods of communicating with patients after their office visits to ensure the treatment is going as planned

The author admits these suggestions “take a lot of time, energy, and effort,” which is why health literacy and patient engagement remain problematic. Many clinicians don’t have the extra time or resources to counsel our patients as thoroughly as they want.

But we can continue to do the best that we can!  

Nikki Rataj Casady, DMSc, PA-C

email@appcolleague.org