The Surprising Power of Phone Calls in Healthcare Engagement
I’m starting to think that healthcare’s growing obsession with AI and apps is overcomplicating the quest for better patient engagement.
I’m admittedly obsessed, too.
A primary care clinic in the Midwest was able to boost engagement and lower depression scores with just a phone call.
Its therapists identified a group of 502 patients who hadn’t completed a PHQ-9 depression screen in the prior 12 months.
They reached 241 (48%) of the identified patients by phone and were able to complete the PHQ-9 for 225 (93%) of those.
About 2/3 (150) of patients who completed the screen had actionable depression symptoms, and 136 (91%) of them agreed to therapy.
Bottom line, over a quarter of targeted patients agreed to engage in therapy to address ongoing depression symptoms following a low-tech intervention.
This study was just published in the peer-reviewed journal, Psychiatric Services.
It’s a reminder that fundamentals are important when trying to keep patients engaged in care.
Photo Credit: Jack Bell Photography
