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written by Gen Cole
gencole.com
Friday, July 17, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Opt-In Email Optional Healthcare Use No. 1: Patient Education for Increased Compliance
Patient education has been defined as “the process by which health professionals and others impart information to patients that will alter their health behaviors or improve their health status (Peter R. Koongstvedt, ‘The Managed Health Care Handbook,’ Fourth Edition, Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2001).”
Of course, improving the health status of patients is always at the forefront of any treatment program. But patient non-compliance is often cited as the main reason for poor health outcomes in all patients. In fact so much as been written on this subject, most of us are well aware of this situation… and we know, it isn’t any one thing that causes it. But no matter where you may search, article upon article seems to cite education as a dominant method for improving patient behavior and improving compliance.
My take on this is simple… if the idea of supplying key patient education may improve patient compliance, why not utilize a method of communication that is ideally suited for establishing ongoing, nurturing contact and is a great mechanism to deliver ongoing, relevant information? The method I am offering up is opt-in email.
The dominant use for opt-in or permission-based email in the healthcare industry, as well as other industries, has been overwhelmingly for marketing purposes -- for sharing announcements, news, and special events to those who have subscribed to receive this information.
However I’d like to suggest, opt-in email can also be utilized as an effective means of patient education. The built-in framework or benefits provided by email marketing make it a great tool for regular newsletters... but if fine-tuned to a certain health condition, can also become an effective means of disseminating patient education information and resources.
If you send out a monthly newsletter with a variety of health topics such as nutrition, the value of sleep, etc., as a community service or goodwill gesture, that’s one thing. But imagine if you could segment your patient population by disease or injury type; and, instead, send relevant information that addresses just that patient population? And, then make it even more practical by adding links to online articles and resources that affect just that population? These could be fun quizzes on health topics, or downloadable patient education brochures or flyers, etc. Resources, of course, would vary and depend on what is available and/or screened by that healthcare provider and available publicly to patients.
But as new patients sign-up, a healthcare provider could also utilize the auto-responder feature of email marketing to have pre-set communications and patient education documents that are emailed to the patient. It could become common practice to ask the patient if they would like to receive patient education materials from their doctor via email. Then you have an open doorway to stay front and center with that patient – to continually, routinely provide key information the patient can incorporate in his or her daily life that have the power to improve compliance and, thereby, improve outcome.
It’s true; opt-in email is not just for marketing purposes. With an innovative approach to communication, it can be used in new ways as real solutions to solve common communication problems, especially in a healthcare setting where so much is at stake.
In the coming months, I'd like to explore this topic further and as I do so, will provide more references to support this optional use of opt-in email.
Written by
Gen Cole, MHA
Gen Cole Communications
www.gencole.com
Of course, improving the health status of patients is always at the forefront of any treatment program. But patient non-compliance is often cited as the main reason for poor health outcomes in all patients. In fact so much as been written on this subject, most of us are well aware of this situation… and we know, it isn’t any one thing that causes it. But no matter where you may search, article upon article seems to cite education as a dominant method for improving patient behavior and improving compliance.
My take on this is simple… if the idea of supplying key patient education may improve patient compliance, why not utilize a method of communication that is ideally suited for establishing ongoing, nurturing contact and is a great mechanism to deliver ongoing, relevant information? The method I am offering up is opt-in email.
The dominant use for opt-in or permission-based email in the healthcare industry, as well as other industries, has been overwhelmingly for marketing purposes -- for sharing announcements, news, and special events to those who have subscribed to receive this information.
However I’d like to suggest, opt-in email can also be utilized as an effective means of patient education. The built-in framework or benefits provided by email marketing make it a great tool for regular newsletters... but if fine-tuned to a certain health condition, can also become an effective means of disseminating patient education information and resources.
If you send out a monthly newsletter with a variety of health topics such as nutrition, the value of sleep, etc., as a community service or goodwill gesture, that’s one thing. But imagine if you could segment your patient population by disease or injury type; and, instead, send relevant information that addresses just that patient population? And, then make it even more practical by adding links to online articles and resources that affect just that population? These could be fun quizzes on health topics, or downloadable patient education brochures or flyers, etc. Resources, of course, would vary and depend on what is available and/or screened by that healthcare provider and available publicly to patients.
But as new patients sign-up, a healthcare provider could also utilize the auto-responder feature of email marketing to have pre-set communications and patient education documents that are emailed to the patient. It could become common practice to ask the patient if they would like to receive patient education materials from their doctor via email. Then you have an open doorway to stay front and center with that patient – to continually, routinely provide key information the patient can incorporate in his or her daily life that have the power to improve compliance and, thereby, improve outcome.
It’s true; opt-in email is not just for marketing purposes. With an innovative approach to communication, it can be used in new ways as real solutions to solve common communication problems, especially in a healthcare setting where so much is at stake.
In the coming months, I'd like to explore this topic further and as I do so, will provide more references to support this optional use of opt-in email.
Written by
Gen Cole, MHA
Gen Cole Communications
www.gencole.com
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