4 Patient Experience Trends We’ll See Emerging in the Next 5 Years

Fast-changing patient expectations, technological advancements and an ageing population contribute to the rapid transformation of the healthcare industry.

As part of this transformation, the patient experience is predicted to change. To ensure your Trust is prepared for this change and can contribute to improving patient experience, we’ve listed four patient experience trends we’ll see emerging in the next five years.

1. The power of predictive analytics
2. The prominence of telehealth
3. Digital patient education in the age of self-diagnosis
4. Patient entertainment in NHS hospitals
   
   

1. The power of predictive analytics

Predictive analytics enable healthcare organisations to improve their planning process, fine-tune the delivery of services and create a more efficient operation — all of which contribute to a better patient experience.

In healthcare, predictive analytics can process and evaluate vast amounts of historical and real-time information to create valuable forecasts, predictions and recommendations focused on all areas of the patient experience.

Utilising data is a key element of any healthcare organisation’s strategy for several reasons.

Firstly, it ensures your decisions are evidence-based. Predictive analytics and the data it employs mean you can confidently make impactful decisions.

Secondly, predictive analytics enables you to provide the right patient care at the right time. Predictive analytics uses learnings from historical data to highlight patients at risk from chronic conditions and flag potential obstacles to successfully delivering their care plans.

Some real-life examples where predictive analytics are used to improve patient experience include:

• Analysing data to identify patients more likely to miss appointments and offering support to them in the future by sending helpful reminders
• Assessing someone’s medical records in detail ensures they have a seamless experience and the right level of care
• Leveraging data to improve outcomes with predictive modelling about how, when and where care should be provided for different types of patients

To effectively use predictive analytics to improve patient experience, you need to have the right technology by your side. Find out more about how you can deliver patient-centred care with the help of technology and some of the options available with our blog.

2. The prominence of telehealth

As technology in healthcare advances, Trusts can now deliver healthcare services to patients without the need to be in the same physical location through solutions such as video chat, phones and video conference software.

This patient experience trend is known as telehealth, which became a crucial aspect of healthcare during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It enabled professionals to provide the same quality of care services while social distancing was the norm.

The 2023 GP survey reported that 23.4% of patients said they used online services to book appointments, and 60.4% used GP practice websites to access information or services, an increase of 0.3% compared with 2022.

Patient demand has been one of the most significant driving forces for the growth of telehealth. Therefore, it’s vital to double down efforts on improving the telehealth experience so it’s as seamless as possible for the patient.

Through integrated communications, telehealth provides real-time updates and reminders while ensuring patients can access their information safely and efficiently in one place.

3. Digital patient education in the age of self-diagnosis

Figures show that nearly 50 million health-related Google searches were made in the UK in 2022

The rise in internet usage and social media platforms is only set to keep growing, which means the trend of patients self-diagnosing will follow the same trajectory.

Healthcare professionals must address this issue and consider the most effective ways to educate patients and meet their demands digitally. 

Of course, building an online presence is one way to do this. Are you active on social media? And if so, are you frequently using this channel to engage with and educate your patients?

Email is another valuable tool for educating patients. Consider sending out targeted newsletters to segments of your database that are focused on common issues they may face.

To make the most of this strategy, your organisation should explore digital exclusion levels in your patients. If this is a problem you face in your local area, several approaches exist to tackle it. These include:

• Digital skills training
• Digital champions
• Assistive technology
• Free public WiFi

Having a patient education system at your disposal is also crucial for success. Find out more about these and the benefits they can offer your organisation in our blog by clicking the button below.

4. Patient entertainment in NHS hospitals

An innovative patient experience trend is providing patients with different types of entertainment during their time in care. For many, a hospital stay can be an isolating experience, making patients feel detached from the outside world.

By implementing a comprehensive patient entertainment system, those receiving care in your hospital or Trust can watch TV, stream videos on demand, listen to the radio and even access a range of educational content related to their diagnosis.

These systems allow patients to stay connected. Traditionally, visiting hours would dictate when patients could see their loved ones, and poor cellular signals would make it hard to keep in touch with friends and family. This doesn’t have to be the case anymore.

As the healthcare industry continues to change at pace, so will the needs of patients. As a result, your organisation's methods to ensure patients enjoy a positive experience will also need to change and adapt — regardless of their situation.

Improving the patient experience to benefit the industry as a whole

To help you keep up with these trends and changes, we’ve created an insightful guide that explains what an exceptional patient experience looks like and how your Trust can be prepared for the future.
 
By downloading the guide, you’ll learn about other patient experience trends to be aware of in the future, who’s accountable for driving changes and how we can support you on your journey. Access your copy of the guide below.

About the author

Rebecca O'Donovan

Becky is the Marketing Director at SPARK TSL, of whom she has worked for since 2012. She is responsible for high-level marketing strategy focusing on lead generation and aiding the vision of the business to ensure business growth. 

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