Digital communication improves young patient engagement, according to new study

Using texts, emails, Skype and other digital communication methods can improve the health care experience of younger patients. That is the conclusion of new research, led by the University of Warwick and King's College London, which examined case studies from 20 NHS specialist clinical teams from across England and Wales. A 'first look' scientific summary about the research has just been published on the NIHR Journals Library. Young people with long-term health conditions often disengage from health services, resulting in poor health outcomes. In an attempt to address this, NHS clinicians are using digital communication to reverse this. However, so far it's been unclear whether this has been effective; there are gaps in evidence as to how it might work, its cost and ethical and safety issues. The research, which was conducted between 2013-2016 was led by Professor Frances Griffiths from the Warwick Medical School and Jackie Sturt, Professor of Behavioural Medicine in Nursing at King's College London.