1/19/2023
Steven Franklin, Product Marketing Manager
The healthcare industry has seen massive change in the past few decades: the transition from paper to EMRs, the emphasis on data-driven decisions, and the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These innovative changes are collectively known as digital transformation, and they’re saving costs and improving health outcomes. This shift/pivot/upheaval is not limited to healthcare.
Across all industries:
We often hear of innovative companies in healthcare being labeled as “disruptors,” meaning they’re doing something new and different that can have a big impact on the healthcare ecosystem. To be a disruptor, you don’t need to live in Silicon Valley or have a vast stockpile of venture capital funding. Real disruption happens by creatively solving the problems that patients, caregivers, and providers face every day.
Healthcare disruptors:
While most healthcare organizations are not building the latest applications, many can become disruptors in health education for their communities. Disruptors in health education improve health literacy by providing the right education for the right people at the right time.
The right education
The right education means the content is high quality, engaging, and effective in educating about a health topic. High-quality education improves understanding and creates a higher level of health literacy in a targeted population.
Key concepts to creating the right education:
For the right people
Education should not be overly general, rather it should target specific demographics to be effective. This allows you to leverage what’s important to people and share more meaningful education.
Key concepts to sharing relevant education:
At the right time
People need health information that’s relevant to them at a certain point of time. For example, if someone is concerned about whether they have a health condition, they need information on signs and symptoms as well as how to schedule an appointment. Information on advanced treatment is not as helpful until after they've been diagnosed.
Key concepts in tailoring health education:
Look closely at patient needs
Real needs drive innovation and disruption. To understand patient needs, it’s essential to create a system, culture, and strategy for amplifying patient voice. Gathering data from patients and caregivers helps you learn the true story.
Work to remove the “We have always done it this way” mindset
This mindset is often embedded in organizational culture and can be hard to break. Communicating the need for change and having a plan for change management are tools that can help overcome this thinking. Recruit key stakeholders and clinical champions that embrace change and can motivate colleagues to do the same.
Look for innovative partners
You don’t have to build everything in-house. There are many new health technology companies that focus on specific areas of disruption. Once you’ve selected a patient need and area that needs to change, look for partners that can help make the change easier.
Embrace pilot programs and failing fast
Disruption will inevitably have setbacks and things that didn’t work out as planned. Embrace that it’s part of the process and part of innovation. Mitigate risk by creating pilot programs for innovation in small, targeted groups. If successful in a small set, change can then be rolled out to a larger group. If not successful, learn from the failure and adapt the innovation to better succeed in the next iteration.
From small community-based organizations to large multisite organizations to payors, healthcare disruption can advance any organization. Healthwise offers a variety of solutions and partnerships that can provide the education content to make health education a key part of your organizational strategy.