Why We Can’t Hit Pause on Patient Engagement

It’s been over two months since the COVID-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down. Schools and businesses closed and healthcare organizations cancelled non-elective procedures. 

In the midst of the pandemic, a key voice was also locked out of healthcare – patients. 

While this made sense in the early days of COVID-19, as administers and healthcare professionals tried to prepare for the unknown, once procedures were in place, patient voices continued to be locked out. 

The issue of excluding patient voices has been hotly debated in social media. Many patient advocates argue that during a pandemic, patient voices have a key role to play. After all, it is the patients and their families who are impacted by changes in healthcare. 

 Healthcare professionals justify the exclusion by saying COVID-19 required all non-essential personnel to be removed from hospitals. 

Virtual reality

But what about the many virtual engagement opportunities? I don’t know about you, but I’ve become an expert on using Zoom. 

 I’ve been using Zoom for work meetings, kids’ classroom learning and even book club. But for some reason, I have not had one Zoom meeting related to the volunteer work I do in healthcare. 

My concern with the lack of patient engagement is that many of the gains we have made will be lost. If we are so easily tossed aside in a health crisis, were we ever really valued? 

During the pandemic I have proactively provided my patient voice (meaning giving feedback when no one asked me). One common concern I’ve had is the lack of information regarding programs and services. Many of the healthcare webpages I’ve visited have not posted any updates (and the pages likely haven’t been updated in years). 

 As you can imagine, I haven’t received a positive reception to the feedback provided. Often, it’s met with – we can’t update as we are waiting for someone else to give us an update. What??? Or, thanks for the feedback. That’s it – no action. 

Relationship building

Another concern with the lack of patient engagement is how this erodes (or destroys) and relationships that had been formed. For me, when I provide feedback I do so out of respect. Respect for the healthcare professionals and respect for the patients. 

Closing the door to patient engagement closes the door on relationship building. 

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I understand hitting pause in the early days of a crisis (although I could also argue this is when you need patient voices). But having your finger firmly on the pause button two months in is not the right approach. 

 Let’s hope as businesses re-open, so too will our healthcare facilities, and with-it patient engagement opportunities. With an expected second wave of the pandemic expected in the fall, let’s ensure patient voices remain at the table instead of being locked out.