Patients are the lifeblood of any physical therapy clinic. Without them, you can’t pay the bills and support your staff. But keeping patients engaged through their recovery process is a challenge that many clinics face. If you want to make sure your patients stay with their treatment plan, follow these tips by using a physical therapy patient engagement software.
Patients’ lack of commitment to their recovery
It is common for patients to be confused, overwhelmed, and feel a lack motivation when they are presented with the amount of information they need to understand their recovery. Some patients may also be reluctant to take action because they do not fully understand their situation or have a clear idea of what they need to do.
This can make it difficult for patients to understand how their recovery will work and how they can begin the process of getting better.
Patient’s failure to show up for appointments
A common challenge that many physical therapists face is patients failing to show up for appointments. This can be a huge problem because it means lost time, money, and resources spent on the patient’s behalf. Several factors contribute to this challenge including:
- Patients are busy and forgetful.
- Patients are not motivated to attend appointments.
- Patients may not understand the importance of attending appointments
Patient non-adherence to home exercise programs
Patient non-adherence to home exercise programs is a common challenge. There are several ways you can avoid this. One way is to teach patients how to do their exercises correctly. Without proper instruction, patients can injure themselves and not get the benefits of their treatment plan.They should then be able to access this plan within the patient engagement software.
You’ll also want to make sure that you are creating engaging exercises. Patients will be more likely to complete their home exercise program if they enjoy doing it and find it challenging enough that they feel like they are getting stronger or in better shape as a result of completing them regularly. You can also encourage engagement by offering rewards for completing your programs such as points towards gift cards, discounts on future treatments, or even prizes like gift cards or tickets for a movie night with friends/family members.
Finally, don’t leave patients alone—have someone check up on them during their first few weeks of therapy so that they don’t become discouraged if things aren’t going smoothly right away; this support will help keep them motivated over time until they learn how best respond appropriately when faced with challenges (like feeling soreness after working out at home).
Inadequate knowledge about the patient’s treatment plan
Inadequate knowledge about the patient’s treatment plan is another common challenge faced by physical therapists. If a patient is not aware of their role in the treatment or has a limited understanding of their condition and how to manage it, they may not fully engage with their PT.
Physical therapists should work to educate patients on their treatment plans so that they can be empowered to choose whether or not they want to participate in physical activity as part of their recovery process.
Conclusion
From a clinical perspective, it’s easy to see how patient engagement software could make all the difference in helping patients recover from injuries or chronic pain. After all, if you’re able to get your patients engaged in their treatment plan, they’ll be more likely to stick with it and see results. This in turn leads to better health outcomes and fewer costs for everyone involved.
