Telehealth trust: Communicating for patient confidence

Patients are often inspired to reach out to health care providers when they notice a troubling symptom. A lingering cough, a change in their energy level, or unexpected weight loss can all trigger a call to the doctor to schedule an appointment, but then patients must wait — sometimes for weeks — to get further information on their condition.

Conversely, with telehealth, patients no longer need to suffer through weeks-long delays before beginning their care. Rather than waiting anxiously or trying to sift through the variety of diagnoses served up by “Dr. Google,” providers can use telehealth to get reliable information on health conditions to their patients as soon as an appointment is set. Telehealth empowers communication that improves patient confidence by reducing confusion, concern, and misinformation.

The many forms of telehealth communication

Telehealth use skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic when shelter-in-place orders and concern over infection kept patients from in-office visits with their doctors. To allow for care to continue, patients connected with their providers via video calls. As a result, connecting with a doctor via Zoom is the image that most often comes to mind when patients think of telehealth.

However, online appointments are just one of many ways that providers can leverage telehealth to communicate with patients. Telehealth services can begin with virtual appointment scheduling since all of the information needed prior to appointments — from onboarding paperwork to insurance forms to medical history — can be provided via telehealth portals.

As the appointment draws near, telehealth can facilitate symptom pre-screening. Nurse practitioners or physician assistants can conduct symptom assessments and provide initial diagnoses via virtual meetings. When artificial intelligence is integrated into telehealth platforms, AI-driven chatbots can be used as part of the pre-screening process.

Telehealth can be used after appointments to improve the patient experience in a number of ways, such as allowing patients to provide feedback on their experience and request additional information or clarification. It can also help providers to encourage medication adherence.

Telehealth streamlines access to educational information

When patients begin to seek treatment, access to dependable educational materials can mean the difference between fear and confidence. While a lack of understanding about a symptom or condition can lead to catastrophizing and heightened anxiety, the right educational materials can serve as a calming agent that inspires patient confidence.

In each phase of the patient journey, telehealth serves as a reliable tool for providing patients with educational information. Immediately after a patient reaches out with concerns, providers can make personalized information available via their telehealth portal, which can then be expertly curated by doctors or other medical staff to match the patient’s needs and concerns.

Information related to patient-provider appointments, whether virtual or in the office, can also be provided via telehealth portals. This can include processes for testing computers or mobile devices to ensure they can facilitate a virtual meeting, as well as information on how a patient should prepare for an in-office visit, such as when to arrive, where to park, and what documentation to bring.

Telehealth education can also help patients understand and value medication reconciliation, ensuring providers are working with the correct information when it comes to the prescriptions a patient may be taking. In some cases, medication reconciliation can reveal the cause of the condition the patient is experiencing by revealing potential drug interactions. It can also uncover interactions between medications and foods or physical activity that may be contributing factors.

After an appointment, telehealth platforms can help educate patients on medication adherence or prescribed rehabilitation steps. It provides a quick and secure way for providers to share test results. It also provides a ready channel for patients to ask questions or share concerns that come up after their appointment.

How telehealth amplifies patient confidence

Several factors can cause patient confidence to deteriorate. For instance, if patients feel providers are inaccessible or the information they receive is confusing, they can quickly lose faith in the healthcare process. Patients can also lose confidence when the process lacks transparency, making them feel like information is being withheld.

Telehealth addresses those issues and others that can lead to a lack of patient confidence by providing an always-available, personalized portal to information that can be accessed repeatedly and from any location. It also helps patients feel like they are in control of their healthcare journey by allowing them to access dependable and relevant information anytime they need it.

Furthermore, telehealth allows information to be presented in a variety of formats, helping patients to engage in a way that makes the most sense to them. AI-driven chatbots can not only streamline access to information but also pass patients on to human representatives if that is what they prefer. Instruction can be provided via video, illustrations, or written materials — all in the same portal — to ensure patients can connect with their preferred learning style.

In health care, as in every other industry, information is the foundation for trust. By embracing better processes for sharing information, providers build trust and foster an environment that improves health outcomes. Telehealth facilitates those processes, boosting patient confidence by providing reliable tools for sharing information.

Lindsay Dymowski Constantino is the President of Centennial Pharmacy Services, a leading long-term care-at-home pharmacy, and co-founder of LTC@Home Pharmacy Companies, which supports the pharmacy and broader health care industries by providing long-term care pharmacy services in the home setting. With over 15 years of experience in the pharmacy field and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Lindsay enables better health outcomes through patient-centric care and has a deep understanding of what drives successful pharmacies beyond medication dispensing.