Blog Part 5: Tackling loss to follow up with more effective patient communication

Technology can support HIV services on their mission to reduce loss to follow up in several ways, from providing fast access to accurate patient cohort data, to automating processes, streamlining caseload management, and encouraging patients to adhere to care pathways.

It can also be used to prioritise more effective patient communication via:

Automated contact
Intelligence applied to the Inform HIV application can be used to either automatically or manually communicate with patients in the HIV care cohort.

Strategic outreach
The PHR can facilitate secure messaging with patients who have not interacted with the service for a defined period to encourage them to remain connected. This can be combined with alerts to healthcare professionals, who can view whether patients have read or responded to communications.

Targeted health promotion
Similarly, technology can be used as a channel to deliver health promotion interventions; periodical information cascaded out to specified groups within the patient cohort providing education and guidance on the importance of adherence and engaging in care.

This can be triggered by pre-defined events or issued periodically. For instance, some people disengage with HIV care because they believe they are cured after attending faith-based healing events. Re-enforcing key facts can help challenge this narrative and encourage people to resume testing and treatment to ensure viral loads remain suppressed.

Test and refine
Switching messaging approach away from detailing the cost to the NHS of missed appointments to a more positive, patient-centric message that serves to alleviate any guilt experienced because of missing appointments and encourage re-booking is also important. Technology can be used to test different messaging approaches with different segments of the patient cohort and data analysed to inform and finetune future communication.

Of course, not all patients will be able to access digital platforms. Others will choose not to engage with a technology-led approach. Understanding the in-direct role technology can play in reducing loss to follow up is the theme of our next instalment. So, get set to learn more about how technology can free-up resource that can be invested in offline reengagement initiatives.

To learn more about how Inform HIV and the PHR can support your service to better manage loss to follow up click here.