Becker’s Health IT and CIO Report, US: Cognizant’s Vice President of Digital Health Discusses Digital Engagement as it Relates to Patient Healing

“When it comes to patient engagement, digital solutions must be designed to help patients heal according to their own situation and measures, thus helping the industry achieve success by its metrics as well,” says Cary Oshima. Excerpts:

"Digital technologies are touted as an effective means of engaging patients and incenting better behaviors and adherence. Yet recent research indicates that if the healthcare industry simply automates existing processes such as they are, those digital initiatives are likely to fail.

The Healing Study, conducted by Cognizant Technology Solutions and ReD Associates over five months, involved a team of researchers spending time in the homes of patients managing chronic conditions, followed by a 5,000-plus respondent quantitative survey. The study made clear that patients find the U.S. healthcare system cold, unengaging and disempowering.

While many patients are already taking steps to warm their care so they may heal according to those measures, healthcare organizations must follow the patients’ lead to design optimal engagement tools and processes.

Digital technologies can be designed to support patient efforts to warm their care. Backed by artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics, digital can power ‘precision engagement’ initiatives that are customizable, adaptive, empathetic and scalable."

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