Even though healthcare organizations are continuously working to engage their patients in their care, many leaders don't believe their efforts are working: On average, healthcare leaders and clinicians believe just 34 percent of their patients are highly engaged, according to an NEJM Catalyst Insights Council survey.
The following are four sets of statistics on patient engagement pulled from the survey, which was completed by 340 clinicians, clinician leaders and executives from hospitals and health systems across the country.
1. A vast majority (86 percent) of respondents use systemic tools to collect patient engagement data. Those tools include:
- CAHPS surveys — 52 percent
- Internal surveys of patients — 42 percent
- Third-party surveys of patients — 41 percent
- Employee surveys — 32 percent
2. While the majority of respondents use those tools to measure patient engagement, they don't find them very effective. Here are the percent of respondents who said the approaches were completely or mostly effective:
- Internal surveys of patients — 33 percent
- Employee surveys — 23 percent
- CAHPS surveys — 17 percent
- Third-party surveys of patients — 17 percent
3. Respondents noted the following as the three most effective patient engagement initiatives:
- Increased clinician-patient time — 59 percent
- Shared decision-making — 54 percent
- Enhanced patient access to access relevant services — 36 percent
4. And they listed the following as the three least effective patient engagement initiatives:
- Remote monitoring using wireless devices/wearables — 56 percent
- Insurer-based incentives to improve patient health — 53 percent
- Patient education on health conditions — 39 percent