Strengthening patient trust through proactive care

It’s that time of the year when breast cancer and prostate cancer awareness months remind the public to be proactive when it comes to their health. But as doctors know only too well, there’s a gap between good intentions and meaningful action. Reminding patients to get checkups is one of the simplest ways to improve outcomes – but staying on top of this process can be an administrative nightmare for healthcare providers.

This is where EngageMX comes in. Powered by Altron HealthTech, this innovative South African digital medical assistant was developed by Dr Benji Ozynsky with input from professors Carol-Anne Benn and Jeffrey Wing. Since its launch two years ago, it has proven a hit with both doctors and patients. More than 250 000 patients have been processed on the EngageMX platform, leading to a 37% increase in screenings and a 25% decrease in chronic disease complications.

How it works

EngageMX integrates practice data, pharmacy data and pathology data to build unique health and risk profiles for each patient. This allows the system to identify individuals who may need proactive care such as cancer screenings, chronic disease checkups, or specific follow-up tests. Patients receive personalised reminders from their doctors, guiding them to take preventive actions like scheduling mammograms or prostate screenings.

“As busy doctors, we don’t have time to analyse every single patient’s file every day,” Dr Ozynsky points out. “We have too many poorly controlled chronic patients and not enough screening.” This is the challenge that he and Altron HealthTech set out to solve with EngageMX – and doctors who use it say the approach is working.

“I have been a customer of Engage for well over a year now,” says Dr Dean Alon Sevel. “It has significantly increased existing patient follow-ups and review consultations, and my patients feel cared for and included in their health management.”

Dr Melinda Whitfield, director of Health with Heart, has noticed a notable improvement in patient compliance since her practice started using EngageMX. “By proactively reaching out to patients for necessary healthcare interventions such as screenings or chronic disease management appointments, the system has effectively increased patient engagement and adherence to recommended healthcare protocols. This proactive approach has resulted in better health outcomes for our patients and a reduction in missed appointments.”

Developed by doctors, for doctors

Patient-centred care is a buzzword right now, and there’s understandably a lot of excitement about the potential role of technology in cancer treatment and chronic disease management. But new solutions only work if they are deeply rooted in an understanding of the user.

When working with Altron HealthTech on developing EngageMX, Dr Ozynski understood that, while many patients don’t follow up on appointments and often present too late, doctors simply don’t have the time to keep track and remind them. Did doctors know how many of their patients were compliant with follow-up appointments? It was important for the solution to actively involve the doctor, but it could not be an administrative burden.

Now that EngageMX has been in market for two years, it’s clear the beauty of this kind of technology is that it takes the pressure off busy human beings and makes patient-centred care a reality. Data-driven healthcare makes it possible to provide a personalised approach to every single patient, including their genome, their medication and their lifestyle habits. In addition, its proactive approach means that instead of waiting for symptoms to manifest, EngageMX prompts patients for routine checks, reducing the risk of late-stage diagnoses and improving overall health outcomes.

“I have lost fewer clients to follow-up and overall this has increased my productivity and effectivity,” adds Dr Sevel. “By the practice engaging with them directly, they feel mutual care is present and they have remarked that it’s a first-of-its-kind service in health promotion.”

As we focus on cancer awareness this November, EngageMX’s proactive care model emphasises that early detection saves lives, making it easier for healthcare providers to partner with patients to take charge of their health. Technology and the human touch working together – this is the future of healthcare.