Health care apps are hot areas for investors. But true patient engagement depends on health literacy more than on the latest app.
In fact, patient engagement is one of the key growth areas in health care, according to a new Deloitte survey. Those with the most potential involve:
- Technology
- Providers + technology
- Internet content
However, health literacy is a far greater challenge than the simple ability to read and use a smartphone. To be health literate is to be able to get and understand health care information and use it to make appropriate care decisions.
This understanding has to occur on many levels. It can be as simple as taking your daily medication every day as directed. Non-adherence lands many people in the hospital because they don’t understand the severity of skipping their meds when they “feel okay.” And technology is tackling that particular issue.
But health care is getting way more complicated that just taking those meds. For many conditions from back pain to cancer, choices range from watchful waiting to aggressive treatment. Meaningful consumer engagement requires the ability to ask the doctor about risks and benefits, canvass other sources and weigh carefully which choice works for you.
Palliative care is great example of the health literacy required to make personal care choices. Many health care professionals still equate it with hospice care and giving up curative treatment. If they’re confused about it, they can’t help patients living with long-term serious illness seize that opportunity to improve quality of life.
One of the best things we can do for consumers is develop solutions that engage people and turn complex health care processes into simple ones. That’s a key goal in transforming our health care system to one that is centered on the individual, and it is fundamental to Cambia’s work to change the way people experience health care. Learn more about how Cambia’s family of companies strive to serve the individual.
