Sixty-four percent of healthcare organizations define "patient engagement" as patients' use of educational materials and online resources to learn more about their health conditions, according to a survey from the National eHealth Collaborative.
The survey results reflected the lack of a universal definition for patient engagement. Respondents could choose three out of 10 definitions. Six garnered more than 25 percent of responses.
The next top five definitions for patient engagement, and their respective survey response score, are as follows:
• Patient uses tools and resources to manage his or her medical record and other health data (58.7 percent).
• Patient feels comfortable challenging the physician when something doesn't seem right or something was not clearly explained (41.3 percent).
• Patient feels comfortable discussing health issues and questions with physicians or nurses face-to-face (38.4 percent).
• Patient communicates with physician about changes to their health status in a timely fashion (38.4 percent).
• Patient emails physician or nurse with questions (27.3 percent).
Despite the varying definitions, roughly 77 percent of survey respondents said patient engagement is "very important" to transforming healthcare.
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The survey results reflected the lack of a universal definition for patient engagement. Respondents could choose three out of 10 definitions. Six garnered more than 25 percent of responses.
The next top five definitions for patient engagement, and their respective survey response score, are as follows:
• Patient uses tools and resources to manage his or her medical record and other health data (58.7 percent).
• Patient feels comfortable challenging the physician when something doesn't seem right or something was not clearly explained (41.3 percent).
• Patient feels comfortable discussing health issues and questions with physicians or nurses face-to-face (38.4 percent).
• Patient communicates with physician about changes to their health status in a timely fashion (38.4 percent).
• Patient emails physician or nurse with questions (27.3 percent).
Despite the varying definitions, roughly 77 percent of survey respondents said patient engagement is "very important" to transforming healthcare.
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