Shared decision making
Amphia - CWZ - Jeroen Bosch Hospital - Anna Hospital - VieCuri - Kliniek Viasana
CEO Thomas Timmers, in collaboration with several hospitals, conducted a scientific study on the effect of increasing medical knowledge by providing information in phases through an interactive app.
On this page, we will delve deeper into what "Shared Decision Making" entails, how to apply it, and what the results of the research on Shared Decision Making using Patient Journey App are.
What is "Shared decision making"?
In modern medicine, there is an increasing focus on "Shared Decision Making." The more medical knowledge a patient has about their illness and the available treatment options, the better they can participate in the decision-making process.
Benefits of "Shared decision making"
"Shared Decision Making" has a positive effect on patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, and health outcomes. Current patient education primarily takes place through consultations, which are not always very efficient.
"Shared decision making" tools
Various tools can be used to enhance the possibility of "Shared Decision Making." We use an app, but online questionnaires or traditional paper brochures can also be employed to increase patient knowledge.
The scientific study outlined below investigates whether providing information in bite-sized, organized pieces through an interactive app like Patient Journey App increases patients' medical knowledge.
"The more medical knowledge a patient has about their illness and the available treatment options, the better they can participate in the decision-making process."
The research
213 patients participated in the study. These patients were referred to one of the six participating hospitals for knee issues related to knee osteoarthritis. In addition to standard information, these patients also received Patient Journey App, which actively sent them information through push notifications one week before their consultation.
Results
The initial results showed that the patients who received the app had a higher level of perceived and actual knowledge about their knee issues and the possible treatment options.
In total, there were 122 patients in the control group and 91 in the intervention group. After the intervention, it was found that the actual knowledge level of patients using the app was 52% higher than that of patients without the app. Additionally, the perceived knowledge level increased by 22% during the week they used the app. In the control group, no increase in knowledge level was observed.
Conclusion & Publication
This scientific research demonstrates that actively providing information to patients via an interactive app like the Patient Journey App indeed has a significant effect on patients' knowledge levels and thereby enhances the possibility of "Shared Decision Making."
The research has also been published in the JMIR mHealth journal. You can view the abstract and the full scientific article here
More information?
We would be happy to get in touch with you.