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Patient adherence: the Achilles heel of treatment plans

When it comes to health, there is a significant gap between understanding what is beneficial for our well-being and actually adopting those practices into our lives. Even with the remarkable progress of medical science, the success of health interventions primarily depends on patients’ willingness and ability to modify their behaviour and follow through with the recommended treatments.

Many studies show that having an accurate diagnosis and a well-crafted treatment plan is insufficient in itself. The road to recovery requires active participation from patients—whether that involves adhering to a specific medication, modifying their diet, or using a medical device as part of their treatment.

Why talk about this now? Healthcare providers are increasingly recognising the transformative potential of technology, AI, and behavioural science in engaging patients more actively in their healthcare journeys and providing them with tools to improve their health and take the right actions.

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How digital tools can support patient adherence?

Today people of all ages rely on digital assistance in most aspects of their lives — let that be navigating to their workplaces or adhering to their treatment plans. Our articles present health-tech powered strategies and examples grounded in behavioural science to streamline patient journeys and boost treatment adherence. The strategies discussed can be applied in any treatment field where patient involvement and self-reliance are crucial.

This includes:

medication adherence
adherence to various therapies and lifestyle interventions
adherence to medical and health devices
adherence to digital well-being and health applications

Why is it challenging to be a “good” patient?

When it comes to sticking with health regimens or incorporating the usage of a medical device into their daily routine, many patients are struggling due to common motivational and behavioural challenges. These are key issues that successful health-tech solutions must address in order to improve adherence and ensure sufficient device usage.

The 4 main adherence challenges

Digital tools will do what doctors cannot in combating non-adherence

The digital expansion of treatments: a natural fit for our modern life

The average person engages with the digital world for 6 hours and 58 minutes every day, a number that continues to rise each year. Digital tools—such as mobile applications supporting the patient journey or connected platforms—are an obvious choice for helping patients with adherence. Moreover, as experiences in more digitally mature industries (e.g., banking) have been reshaping social expectations, patients are actually expecting this kind of support in many cases.

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How digital tools can amplify practitioners’ activity in a scalable and cost-effective manner?

The foundation of adherence lies in the trust that healthcare practitioners establish in their expertise and treatment plans during patient interactions. No digital tool can truly replace this.

However, doctors have limited time for each patient, and cannot provide continuous support at home. That’s where digital tools will come in handy: they excel at offering ongoing support in an economical manner—a crucial aspect when healthcare costs are spiralling. While doing this, they also perform essential data collection.

In this series of blog articles, we've laid the groundwork for understanding the pivotal role of behavioral science in boosting patient adherence through digital aids. This introductory piece has equipped you with essential insights into the factors shaping patient adherence and the effective utilization of supportive digital solutions.

In the upcoming articles, we'll delve deeper into the process of creating impactful digital tools with the help of behavioral science and showcase innovative health-tech solutions that have significantly improved patient engagement and adherence.