Keeping patients engaged in their own care is easier said than done. Once a patient leaves the doctor’s office, the physician has no way of knowing how committed a patient is until the next appointment. With the integration of patient engagement technology, physicians are giving patients an opportunity to improve care.

In the recent New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst Patient Engagement survey, Insights Council members—a group of U.S. healthcare executives, clinician leaders and clinicians—were asked about the pros, cons and obstacles presented by patient engagement technology tools.

Survey results included:

Top benefits of using technology for patient engagement:

• 67 percent stated supporting patients in their efforts to be healthy.
• 60 percent stated to provide input to providers on how patients are doing outside the clinic.
• 51 percent states to create an ecosystem that allows for better predictive analytics for earlier intervention on patient’s health.

Most effective patient engagement initiatives:

• 85 percent voted for biometric measurement devices like glucometers and wireless scales.
• 75 percent stated applications as the most effective.
• 70 percent stated texting was the most effective in keeping patients engaged in their own care.

Biggest barriers to recommending patient engagement technology:

• 67 percent of providers did not know what to recommend.
• 42 percent were unclear of the impact on quality outcomes.
• 37 percent believed the process is not for physicians to be recommending tools.

Top applications for the best patient engagement:

• 81 percent stated chronic disease management.
• 66 percent stated the support of medication adherence.
• 46 percent stated fitness tracking.

Top areas for companies to focus on when providing patient engagement technology tools:

• 51 percent voted for better integration of technology with engagement strategies.
• 50 percent voted for the integration with clinical workflows.
• 50 percent voted for easier-to-use products.