Benefits of patient education for healthcare providers
Editor's Note: This blog was published prior to the transition to WebMD Ignite.
Written by Tara Novick, MSN, RN, clinical content coordinator
It’s no secret that effective patient education and engagement can improve patient outcomes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expanding evidence shows that better health outcomes are seen in people with higher patient activation. National Health Education Week each October also celebrates the important role education plays in patients’ health.1 But the benefits don’t stop with the patients. Here are two ways that effective patient education can also benefit healthcare providers.
Easier path to regulatory readiness
When patient education resources are linked to an electronic health record (EHR), the path to regulatory readiness is simplified. Although essential to improving care delivery and patient experiences, complying with various regulatory requirements can be difficult and time consuming for healthcare professionals and delivery systems.
At WebMD Ignite, we strive to curate a content library that meets a number of quality and compliance standards. These standards include The Joint Commission patient care standards, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), and The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Some of the ways that WebMD Ignite's patient education solutions help providers meet regulatory requirements include:
- Automatic content updates. This ensures that education is up-to-date and follows the most current guidelines.
- Education filters. Various filters can be applied to deliver content that is demographically appropriate.
- Search functions by clinical code and keyword. Allows for efficient location and disbursement of clinically relevant materials.
- Patient usage tracking. Quickly assess when and how patients are utilizing education provided to them.
Increased patient autonomy, decreased burden on providers
As the healthcare industry continues to increase access to care, that also means an increased workload for providers. Newer modalities of care include online patient portals and telehealth, which require time and attention from healthcare professionals, in addition to direct patient care. WebMD Ignite’s technologies help increase patient autonomy and streamline the clinical workflow with features like “recommended learning.” Simply giving patients access to an education repository is not always useful, as these libraries can hold thousands of pieces of content. However, with the “recommended learning” feature, patients can locate groups or bundles of education that are relevant to them, eliminating total reliance on providers to access appropriate education.
Helping providers across the health journey
In addition to our award-winning patient education and technology solutions, we're also delivering new intelligent solutions to help organizations offer a unified engagement experience for patients across their entire health journey.
Sources
1. https://nationaltoday.com/national-health-education-week/
