By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Media Begin Focus on Next Iteration of ACA
    December 13, 2012
    Washington State Care
    Using Homecare for Positive Change in Healthcare
    August 14, 2017
    Do Electronic Health Records Reduce Malpractice Claims?
    February 2, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How to Increase Patient Engagement Through Storytelling
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > How to Increase Patient Engagement Through Storytelling
eHealth

How to Increase Patient Engagement Through Storytelling

Ash Rishi
Ash Rishi
Share
5 Min Read
patient engagement
SHARE

patient engagementPatient engagement is currently the holy grail of medical practice marketing. Far more than just a trendy buzzword, ‘engagement’ has not only mushroomed into one of the leading topics for spoken and written content, but it also lends itself to multiple meanings.

patient engagementPatient engagement is currently the holy grail of medical practice marketing. Far more than just a trendy buzzword, ‘engagement’ has not only mushroomed into one of the leading topics for spoken and written content, but it also lends itself to multiple meanings. Opportunists use it across a wide range of constituents and agendas, from social media marketing to database systems. So why is patient engagement so important, and how does content marketing help to achieve it?

Why We Need Engagement

Healthcare is expensive, both for patients and for the authorities. Research shows that patients who are actively involved in their healthcare are significantly more likely to practice positive health behaviour, resulting in better health outcomes. Case studies show patient engagement delivers dramatic results, such as:

More Read

Telehealth Provides Convenience and Value
The Healthcare Conundrum: Doing What’s Wrong for Business by Doing What’s Right
Kaiser Permanente Colorado Drastically Improves Hypertension Control Among Its Members
HIPAA? Now HIMTA: The New mHealth Bill
Exergaming: Breaking Down the Walls of Social Isolation While Improving Health
  • 40% reduction in emergency room consultations
  • 20% to 35% reduction in hospital admissions
  • 86% patient satisfaction
  • 47% increase in the number of patients meeting cholesterol goals

This reduces the cost to all parties, minimises patients’ discomfort and increases both the length and the quality of their lives.

Disengagement Dilemma

Research by Deloitte shows that 1 in 2 patients are disengaged and prefer to follow a passive healthcare approach. In spite of having access to technology such as patient portals, less than 10% of patients actually use these online tools. They rely heavily on doctors to make all their medical decisions while they take no initiative to manage their own health.

Why Content Marketing Helps

It all comes down to conversation. In the healthcare service industry, we’re talking to real people about real issues that affect their lives. Content educates, informs, and promotes conversation; all these processes lead to patient engagement. If you want your patients to join the conversation, you have to give them a reason to do so, and that’s where content marketing comes in. Not just any content, either; it has to be content your patients can really relate to.

Story Telling Makes the Point

Mankind has always loved story telling. Since the beginning of time, we’ve gathered around fires while elders told stories that carried important messages for humanity. And it’s no different today. You just have to look around at the millions of books, films and television series available – most of which have an identifiable moral message of some sort. Stories are shared, discussed and reproduced in other formats. Stories evoke emotion, they encourage the reader to go along for the journey. In other words, they engage.

Getting it Right

It’s one thing to say it and another to get it right, though. Far too often, healthcare marketers try to wrap their business points in a story and get it wrong. The story has to do the following to work:

  • Reveal something personal.
  • Take patients on a journey that offers a transformation between the beginning and the end.
  • Tap into an emotion, such as fear, desire or hope to motivate the patient to act.

A thinly-disguised marketing message won’t fool anyone, especially when you’re trying to promote patient engagement, because people don’t typically engage with brand communications. They engage with personal ones.

Focus on People

In healthcare you’re marketing to people, not to numbers or companies. You need to understand your target audience thoroughly, draw on a variety of resources and produce material that can inform, guide and inspire creative solutions. That’s the only way it will deliver the desired impact.

The figures quoted justify implementing patient engagement by any means. You can do it by altering your mindset to focus on patients as people, telling their stories in ways that are meaningful and that help to educate them on the importance of health management.

(patient engagement / shutterstock)

TAGGED:patient engagement
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Social Media or Search Engines……The Chicken and/or the Egg?

May 18, 2012

Why Have We Struggled So Hard to Improve Healthcare Quality?

November 26, 2012

What Defines Someone as Health Literate?

January 21, 2013
massachusetts general hospital
BusinessSocial Media

Who Knew? Facebook Tops HCAHPS as Measure of Care

April 9, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?