2020health conference calls for more meaningful engagement
29 May 2009
Speakers at 2020health’s recent conference on Using IT to deliver improved patient outcomes were united in urging healthcare providers to open their minds to new avenues of engagement with the general public.
Microsoft’s John Coulthard told the event that should mean opening electronic patient records to grass-roots innovation. Paul Curran reports.
2020health is a centre-right think-tank hoping to improve healthcare with a focus on commissioning, competition and technology.
Recently, the organisation, which is headed by former Conservative minister Tom Sackville, held a conference at the Royal College of Medicine to debate how IT could be used to deliver improved patient outcomes.
One of the speakers at the event sponsored by EDS was John Coulthard, Microsoft UK director of healthcare and life sciences, who addressed the issue of how best to engage people through electronic patient records (EPRs). “We need to get to grips right now with the fundamental reasons why individuals don’t - or won’t - engage with healthcare in this country, and actively pursue opportunities to foster better engagement."
Mr Coulthard suggested that too many health providers believe the contract between themselves and individuals applies only when the latter are unwell. As a result, he added, health providers may be missing an opportunity for a dialogue with individuals about ‘wellness’ (that might just lead to better health, better use of treatments, and reduced NHS costs).
“We need to get to grips right now with the fundamental reasons why individuals don’t - or won’t - engage with healthcare in this country, and actively pursue opportunities to foster better engagement,” he said.
Innovation from the ground up
Mr Coulthard said recent research suggests the UK is lagging badly behind most developed countries when it comes to individuals being engaged and informed around healthcare – putting the figure at around 11 per cent, compared with three times that number in the US.
He ascribed this to the way UK citizens generally view innovation in health. “Many people think that innovation is only carried out in funny coloured rooms within universities, hospitals and large commercial enterprises by people wearing jeans and T-shirts.
“I prefer to think of the precedent set by Gary Fisher and his pals, who invented the mountain bike in the hills above San Francisco back in 1976. Today, around 65 per cent of mountain bike manufacturers’ revenues come from spares and accessories – it shows that meaningful advances often come through social innovation.
“For the same reason, I believe that EPRs will be only be adopted successfully once governments and health organisations decide that innovation isn’t just down to them, but equally for citizens themselves to drive.”
Involvement yields staggering response
Mr Coulthard went on to describe how work carried out for the NSPCC by the Microsoft-owned ad agency, Razorfish, proves that involving individuals can have staggering results.
When people were allowed to innovate by creating micro sites, blogs and other forms of web advertising – even around a difficult subject like child abuse – the charity achieved a 35 per cent plus increase in response. “EPRs will be only be adopted successfully once governments and health organisations decide that innovation [is] for citizens themselves to drive.”
“If innovation can manage to engage people to this extent on a tricky topic like that, just imagine how much easier it might be to engage them around their health,” he added.
Mr Coulthard proposed that health providers should consider following the example of Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook and US President Barack Obama’s social media campaign manager, by applying his techniques to EPRs and health engagement in general.
“If they did that, then at least half the population would have a better idea of how unwell they are,” he said.
Technology is a bridge, not an obstruction
Other speakers at the conference also identified the health sector’s slowness to adopt innovative technologies as a reason for its failure to engage effectively with citizens.
Among them was Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, founder of the Cambridge-based consultancy Patients Know Best, who said: “The focus on IT in the NHS is too often centred around the technology for managing EPR systems, when what we should be exploring are innovative technologies to engage with the general public more effectively.
“The computer was originally seen as a barrier between patient and GP, when in fact all that was needed was to turn the monitor around for it to become a bridge, not an obstruction.
“The growing popularity of social networking websites, coupled with the growth in mobile communications technology, means there are many new and exciting avenues out there for better engagement with patients and the community in general.”“We should be exploring are innovative technologies to engage with the general public more effectively.”
How can health providers help to build trust?
Looking to the future, a recent study of 1,000 people by the global PR firm Edelman suggests that UK adults are becoming more actively engaged in health issues, with conversations about health more important to them now than in the past.
Around one in three of those questioned felt that conversing with their doctor is more important than it used to be, while over a quarter felt that resources such as Web MD and Google are more important health sources than previously.
At the same time, the study cautioned that organisations involved in healthcare are not widely trusted - only 8 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that they trust what they hear from these sources.
What’s more, 70 per cent believed that trust is the most important factor when thinking about engaging with health organisations. All of which begs the question: how can health providers help to build this trust?
Prioritise engagement and build trust
Once again, Mr Coulthard argued that the answer lies in more effective engagement. “Those most actively engaged – those Edelman calls ‘Health Info-entials’ (in other words, people who are involved in health issues and who gather and share information about health) are more trusting of healthcare providers than the general population.
They are also more likely to be positive advocates of health organisations. “What Edelman’s survey demonstrates is that healthcare providers must be braver in their communications with the health engaged community,” says Mr Coulthard. “They must prioritise engagement and build trust if they are to secure acceptance by their patient population.
“What we're seeing is the democratisation of communications. These new Health Info-entials have a voice based on their personal experience and a willingness to share their points of view with friends and the broader community.
“It therefore makes sense to communicate with them across multiple channels with health expertise and personally relevant content.”
Health Info-entials set new rules for health engagement:
According to Edelman’s Health Engagement Barometer, ‘Health info-entials’ want personal, honest engagement and dialogue on health issues that affect them personally; the higher their personal stake in an issue, the higher their desire for engagement.
Health expertise is key:
The most credible source of health information for this group is “my doctor or healthcare professional” (94 per cent). Yet even then, Health Info-entials turn to other sources to validate the information they receive (78 per cent).
Health and well-being come first:
Above all, Health Info-entials care about protecting and maintaining their own health: to “maintain health and well-being” (96 per cent), “prevent disease” (94 per cent) and “solve chronic health problems” (91 per cent) are their main concerns.
They say these issues are more important for health organisations to address than others such as protecting privacy (79 per cent), fostering innovation (75 per cent), and addressing the environmental impact on health (72 per cent).
Interact everywhere:
Health influence happens across all channels. The channel named most frequently for organisations to communicate with people - “through my doctor or healthcare provider” - is only 32 per cent.
Edelman argues this means there is no debate about whether healthcare providers should pursue interactive channels; instead, it says this is a mandate for them to contribute to the conversation before it is defined by others.
Engage with Health Info-entials:
Health Info-entials are leading the conversation about health issues and therefore illuminate the future channels, topics and sources that will wield the greatest health influence. This group of individuals is a critical audience that healthcare providers would do well to heed.
About the author: Paul Curran is a writer, journalist and commentator on business and technology issues. In a career spanning 25 years, he has acted as a media consultant to many pan-European, American and Asian companies in the UK and Europe.
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