In healthcare, effective patient engagement strategies are at the heart of better outcomes, stronger patient loyalty, and more efficient operations. As we approach 2025, staying ahead with innovative patient engagement techniques has never been more essential. Let’s dive into the strategies that are helping healthcare providers transform care experiences—and see how Feedtrail’s expertise can bring these ideas to life.
What is a Patient Engagement Strategy?
A patient engagement strategy is a proactive, structured approach to involve patients in their own healthcare journey. This means moving beyond one-size-fits-all interactions to create meaningful, tailored experiences that empower patients as active participants in their care. Effective patient engagement strategies focus on bridging communication gaps, fostering trust, and providing patients with tools and information to manage their health proactively.
It’s not just about providing care; it’s about creating a seamless and supportive experience that encourages patients to feel invested in their health, and there are different types of patient engagement.
Why Patient Engagement Strategies Matter
Engaged patients are often more informed, more committed to their treatment plans, and more satisfied with their healthcare experience. A well-designed patient engagement strategy also benefits healthcare providers, as it can lead to better health outcomes, reduced hospital readmissions, and improved patient loyalty. In today’s healthcare landscape, where patients expect a higher level of interaction and responsiveness, having a solid engagement strategy in place is essential for any organization aiming to thrive.
A comprehensive patient engagement strategy also aligns with organizational goals and metrics, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or patient satisfaction scores. By setting measurable engagement goals and tracking progress, healthcare providers can continuously improve their processes and better meet the needs of their patient population.
Ultimately, a robust patient engagement strategy is a blueprint for building stronger, trust-based relationships with patients. By helping patients feel valued, heard, and empowered, healthcare organizations can create a positive impact that extends beyond individual outcomes to overall community health and satisfaction.
How to Increase Patient Engagement: 7 Best Patient Engagement Strategies
A patient engagement strategy incorporates a variety of techniques, including personalized communication, education, feedback loops, and community building. It often utilizes digital tools—like mobile apps, patient portals, and real-time feedback platforms—to simplify access to care, improve response times, and maintain ongoing communication with patients. Here are seven examples of patient engagement strategies:
1. Personalize Engagement for Each Patient
Personalization is a game-changer in patient engagement. Recognizing that each patient’s needs, preferences, and health goals are unique allows healthcare providers to tailor interactions and improve outcomes.
Why it works: Hyper-personalization helps patients feel valued and understood, making them more likely to engage actively in their care. Feedtrail’s customizable platforms enable healthcare providers to collect and analyze data, tailoring interactions based on patient history, needs, and feedback—whether that’s reminders for appointments or tailored educational content.
2. Leverage New Technologies for Real-Time Feedback
Patients today expect real-time, convenient communication. By leveraging mobile apps, SMS messaging, and online platforms, healthcare providers can streamline interactions and reduce friction in the patient journey.
How to engage patients in their care: Real-time feedback tools and patient engagement software, like those offered by Feedtrail, allow patients to share concerns or satisfaction levels at any stage of their journey. This timely insight empowers healthcare teams to address issues promptly and fine-tune processes in real-time.
3. Use Automation for Seamless Follow-Ups and Reminders
Automation can be an incredibly effective part of any patient engagement plan. Automating reminders for appointments, follow-ups, and routine check-ins minimizes missed appointments and keeps patients on track.
Patient engagement activities: By automating routine tasks, providers can focus on building quality relationships during in-person visits, while patients appreciate the consistency and convenience of these automated touchpoints. Feedtrail’s automated reminders and follow-up features allow healthcare providers to save time and improve patient adherence to care plans.
4. Foster Shared Decision-Making with Transparent Communication
Patients feel more engaged and respected when they’re actively involved in decisions regarding their care. Shared decision-making involves presenting options, risks, and benefits transparently, so patients feel empowered to make informed choices.
Patient engagement techniques: This approach improves trust and loyalty, as patients are more likely to follow through on a treatment they understand and believe in. Feedtrail’s tools facilitate this transparency by making educational resources and decision aids easily accessible.
5. Incorporate Patient Feedback into Care Improvements
Involving patients in the care quality improvement process makes them feel like valuable stakeholders. Regularly collecting feedback through surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations can highlight areas for improvement.
Patient engagement ideas: Feedback doesn’t just help with care adjustments; it helps create a culture of responsiveness, making patients feel heard and appreciated. Feedtrail’s platform captures feedback throughout the patient journey, allowing teams to act quickly on insights to enhance experiences.
6. Provide Educational Resources that Empower Patients
Healthcare literacy is a significant barrier to engagement. By offering accessible, easy-to-understand resources on topics like medications, treatment options, and lifestyle changes, providers empower patients to take charge of their health.
How to involve patients in their care: Patient portals, relevant email messages, and one-on-one education sessions are great patient engagement activities that foster learning and understanding. Feedtrail enables healthcare teams to distribute educational materials and messages and track their engagement, ensuring patients feel well-informed.
7. Build a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC)
Establishing a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) allows healthcare organizations to involve patients and their families directly in the decision-making and improvement processes. PFACs provide invaluable perspectives, helping healthcare providers understand what truly matters to patients and their support networks. (Read our related article: “Best Practices for a Successful Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC)”.)
Strategies for patient engagement: A PFAC fosters collaboration between patients, families, and healthcare teams, ensuring that care delivery aligns with patient needs and preferences. Feedtrail supports this initiative by helping you identify and invite potential council members, collecting PFAC feedback, and tracking the impact of council-led recommendations, making it easier to implement meaningful improvements that resonate with patients and families.
Aligning Marketing and Patient Experience to Enhance Patient Engagement
In healthcare, marketing and patient experience can work hand in hand to build trust, boost patient loyalty, and drive revenue. As patients become more discerning about their healthcare choices, a strategy for patient engagement that aligns with marketing initiatives can make a powerful impact.
When patient engagement marketing is effectively integrated with patient experience efforts, healthcare providers can reach patients with messages that resonate, encourage active participation, and create meaningful connections.
Improving patient engagement starts with understanding what matters most to patients and using that knowledge to shape communications. Marketing campaigns that reflect the values, needs, and expectations of patients can lay a strong foundation for loyalty. By using patient engagement best practices in these campaigns—like tailoring messaging for different patient demographics or engaging patients through preferred communication channels—healthcare providers can build lasting relationships.
How to improve patient engagement in healthcare through marketing requires a thoughtful approach. Providers can leverage targeted campaigns to educate patients, promote preventive care, and remind them of follow-up care. This type of patient engagement marketing helps patients feel informed and empowered while reminding them that their healthcare provider is committed to their well-being.
By implementing patient engagement strategies healthcare informed by patient feedback and patient experience data, organizations can maintain thoughtful ongoing communication with patients outside of clinical visits. These tools also make it easier to implement feedback loops, where patients can share insights and responses directly with their providers, further increasing patient engagement.
The alignment of marketing and patient experience can lead to measurable outcomes. Patients who feel understood and appreciated by their healthcare provider are more likely to stay loyal, recommend the provider to others, and engage in additional health services. With a well-rounded strategy for patient engagement that includes marketing, healthcare organizations not only foster healthier patient relationships but also create opportunities for growth and revenue.
Patient Engagement Strategies in Action
Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) Medical Group uses Feedtrail’s messaging features to reach out to specific patient populations with personalized, health-related reminders. During a diabetes management campaign, EVMS sent targeted messages to patients with no recent hemoglobin A1C tests or high A1C levels.
This targeted approach prompted about 50% of patients to take action, doubling the response compared to traditional outreach methods and resulting in a 41% increase in reported A1C results. This shows the power of personalization in engaging patients and improving outcomes through specific, relevant reminders. Read the full story here.
Reach Your Patient Engagement Goals with Feedtrail
Effective patient engagement strategies are within reach, and Feedtrail is here to help you implement them. By integrating real-time feedback, automating patient communications, and personalizing the patient journey, Feedtrail empowers healthcare organizations to reach their patient engagement goals and drive better outcomes. Book a demo with us today to see how our solutions can transform your patient engagement efforts.