Best ways to use Gamification to improve patient medical adherence

Patient Engagement

 In today’s digital age, it is more important than ever for healthcare providers to engage patients in a way that makes them want to adhere to medical guidance. Patients are inundated with information and distractions, making it difficult for them to focus on their health. That’s where gamification comes in. 

Gamification can create an engaging user journey that will make it easier for patients to stick to their medication schedules. It can also help improve patient medical adherence rates.

Why is patient medical adherence low?

Here are some of the main reasons why patient medical adherence is so low;

  • Patient negligence and forgetfulness
  • Low patient engagement with treatment protocol
  • Side effects of treatments
  • Cost of treatments
  • Low integration with technology

 

All the issues mentioned above that lead patients to fail to adhere to their prescribed treatments can be resolved by gamification. 

How can gamification in healthcare improve patient medical adherence

 Gamification makes treatments more fun and engaging: Gamification makes treatment plans more engaging, rewarding, and fun for patients. When treatments are more fun, patients are more likely to stick with them.

Gamification can increase patient awareness: Gamification can be used to increase patient awareness of their treatments and what they need to do to adhere to their plan.

Gamification gives patients ownership over their treatment: When patients feel like they are in control of their treatments and have a say in how they are carried out, they are more likely to adhere to their plan.

Gamification can make treatments more affordable: Patients are more likely to adhere to their therapy plans if treatments are more interesting. This can result in lower healthcare provider costs and which could lower costs for patients.

Gamification can improve doctor-patient communication: Gamification can make mundane routine checks and feedback more fun for patients which could result in better communication between doctors and patients. 

How is the healthcare industry primed for gamification?

The healthcare industry is one of the most primed industries for gamification and here are some of the main reasons why;

Healthcare is going digital: With healthcare going digital, the need for engagement in healthcare and patients’ treatment plans also has to go digital. 

Healthcare and pharmaceutical subsidies: A lot of healthcare and pharmaceutical companies get subsidies based on how many patients actually use the medication according to the treatment plan. Gamification can deliver the levels of engagement required to maximize healthcare subsidies.

The COVID-19 pandemic: The pandemic has accelerated the need for gamification in healthcare as it is one of the few ways to effectively engage patients remotely.

 

How can Octalysis help?

Octalysis is the world’s leading Gamification framework that helps healthcare providers to create engaging user journeys that improve patient medical adherence. By leveraging the eight core drives of human motivation, Octalysis also provides the sticky factor or “stickiness” that is required to keep patients coming back to the app.

Please contact us for more information on how you can integrate gamification into your patient-facing systems, to ensure that they are fully engaged with the treatment process.

 

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