4 Patient Experience Trends We’ll See Emerging in the Next 5 Years

Fast-changing patient expectations, technological advancements and an ageing population — many factors contribute to the rapid transformation of the healthcare industry.

As part of this transformation, the patient experience is predicted to change. To ensure your Trust is prepared for this change and is capable of contributing to improving patient experience, we’ve written this article listing four patient experience trends we’ll see emerging in the next five years.

1. The Power of Predictive Analytics 
2. The Prominence of Telehealth
3. Digital Patient Education in the Age of Self-Diagnosis 
4. Patient Entertainment in NHS Hospitals
   
   

1. The Power of Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics enable healthcare organisations to improve their planning process, fine-tune the delivery of services and create a more efficient operation — all of which contribute to a better patient experience. 

In healthcare, predictive analytics can process and evaluate vast amounts of historical and real-time information to create valuable forecasts, predictions and recommendations focused on all areas of the patient experience. 

Utilising data should be a key element of any healthcare organisation’s strategy for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures your decisions aren’t based on assumptions. Predictive analytics and the data it employs mean you can confidently make big decisions.

Secondly, predictive analytics enables you to provide the correct care to your patients at the right time. This is because it uses learnings from historical data to highlight patients at risk from chronic conditions and flag potential obstacles to successfully delivering their care plans.

Some real-life examples where predictive analytics could be used to improve patient experience include:

• Analysing data to identify patients more likely to miss appointments and offering support to them in the future by sending helpful reminders.
• Assessing someone’s medical records in detail to make sure they’re provided with a seamless experience and the right level of care.
• Leveraging data to improve outcomes with predictive modelling about how, when and where care should be provided for different types of patients.

To effectively use predictive analytics to improve patient experience, you need to have the right technology by your side. Find out more about how you can deliver patient-centred care with the help of technology and some of the options available here.

2. The Prominence of Telehealth

As technology in healthcare advances, hospitals and Trusts can now deliver healthcare services to patients without the need to be in the same physical location. This is made possible through various solutions such as video chat via apps or webcams, phones and video conference software.

Known as telehealth, this way of operating became a crucial aspect of healthcare during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as it enabled professionals to provide the same quality of care services while social distancing was the norm.

However, research suggests that consumers’ adoption of telehealth is likely to remain above pre-pandemic levels and will see significant growth in the next five years. 

Patient demand has been one of the greatest driving forces for the growth of telehealth. Therefore, it’s vital to double down efforts on improving the telehealth experience so it’s as seamless as possible for the patient. 

This can be done through integrated communications, providing real-time updates and reminders while ensuring patients can access their information safely and easily in one place.

3. Digital Patient Education in the Age of Self-Diagnosis

Research found that 59% of the UK self-diagnose health symptoms online before contacting their GP. Because of the risks, governments, physicians and patient care organisations officially discourage self-diagnosis.

However, the rise in internet usage and social media platforms is only set to keep growing, which means the trend of patients self-diagnosing is likely to follow the same trajectory.

Therefore, healthcare professionals must address this issue and consider the most effective ways to digitally educate patients and meet their demands. 

Of course, one way to do this is by building up an online presence. Are you active on social media? And if so, are you frequently using this channel to engage with and educate your patients? 

Email is another valuable tool for educating patients. Consider sending out targeted newsletters to segments of your database that are focused on common issues they may face. 

To make the most of this strategy, your organisation should explore digital exclusion levels in your patients. If this is a problem you face in your local area, there are several approaches you might consider to tackle it. These include:

• Digital skills training.
• Digital champions.
• Assistive technology.
• Free public WiFi.
  
  

Having a patient education system at your disposal is also crucial for success. Find out more about these and the benefits they can offer your organisation here.

4. Patient Entertainment in NHS Hospitals

An innovative approach to improving patient experience provides patients with different types of entertainment during their time in care. For many, a hospital stay can be an isolating experience which makes patients feel detached from the outside world.

By implementing a comprehensive patient entertainment system, those receiving care in your hospital or Trust can watch TV, stream videos on demand, listen to the radio and even access a range of educational content related to their diagnosis. 

Furthermore, these systems allow patients to stay connected. Traditionally, visiting hours would dictate when patients could see their loved ones and poor cellular signal would make it hard to keep in touch with friends and family.

This doesn’t have to be the case anymore. A patient entertainment system enables patients to make video calls and send emails at any time of day to minimise their feelings of loneliness and isolation. All of these factors can significantly contribute to improving patient experience.

Do you want to know more about patient entertainment systems and the benefits they can offer to your patients and your staff? This article explains everything you need to know. 

As the healthcare industry continues to change at pace, so will the needs of patients. As a result, the methods your organisation uses to ensure patients enjoy a positive experience will also need to change and adapt — regardless of their situation

To help you keep up, we’ve created an insightful guide that explains what an exceptional patient experience looks like and how your organisation can be prepared for the future.

Improving the Patient Experience to Benefit the Industry as a Whole

By downloading the guide, you’ll learn about other patient experience trends to be aware of in the future, who’s accountable for driving certain changes and how we can support you on your journey.

Access your copy of the guide below.