“Health literacy is key to lowering healthcare costs and better education is the key to health literacy.” – Health Action Council
You’re heading to the doctor. It’s time for that exam. You Google for quick answers before heading to your appointment. You see the doctor. They hand you a pamphlet and a few sheets of paper that you shove into a bag.
When you get home, you text that person you trust. No, they didn’t go to medical school, but they always know what to do.
These Are Learning Moments Healthcare Can Own
By 2030, the global corporate wellness market alone is expected to exceed $100 billion, and education is part of every solution because health leaders are recognizing that learning is required for every stage of behavior change.
But in spite of all that investment, most health education is still clinical and dry. Designed to inform, not to teach. And in the digital age, those pamphlets and papers are the vestigial limbs of health education–followed closely by the health portal littered with YouTube videos. Can we please stop calling that an experience?
The Unhealthy State of Digital Health Engagement
What do you do when health consumers won’t pay attention? If you’re most wellness programs, you hand out costly incentives in exchange for healthy actions (ex: $300 bucks to complete your annual physical). Meanwhile, telephonic nurse and health coaching programs come with high operational costs that highlight the need for better self-directed options.
Because today’s health consumers want to get smart on their terms (and if we want them to learn to make smarter health decisions), we have to meet them where they are.
So how do we do that? How do we teach and guide them to the knowledge and progress they seek? To answer that, let’s look to some of the world’s most engaging digital products.
3 Trends for Digital Health Literacy
Captivate with Video
Video streaming services now account for half of global time spent online. Re-read that sentence.
Takeaway: Well-produced video in a sequenced and distraction-free environment will hold attention.
Educate with Engaging Experts
People are taking online courses at a rate over 5X the enrollments in every college in America combined. Why? Because people want shortcuts. They want trusted sources delivering credible information in an entertaining format.
Takeaway: From podcasts to online videos and courses, people show up to learn from experts with consumer appeal.
Activate with Community and Personalized Programs
Peloton is not just a super expensive bike, it’s an expert-led, community supported experience that inspires achievement both online and in real life.
Takeaway: People show up for great instructors, especially if they can make focused progress alongside others doing the same.
How Can You Harness These Digital Health Trends?
In short, you’ll need internal talent or external partners with expertise in learning, content, and technology. At mPulse Mobile, we’ve hired top minds in each area to build a digital curriculum for physical, financial, emotional, social and career health.
We’re aggressively partnering with best-selling authors, TED speakers, and leading physicians to create custom and licensable health education as engaging as streaming television.
Powered by our learning software, we have growing series of holistic health content that provides a faster, more affordable path to lift health literacy and health engagement. It’s also flexible to your digital ecosystem, branding and related health programs.
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Article originally published at thebigknow.com.
