How Personalized Patient Care is Transforming Medicine

Technology has unlocked the potential for new approaches that utilize data to create tailored experiences for each patient. The trend started in chronic care, but today personalized patient care is showing up across all forms of medicine.

Personalized care, also called personalized or precision medicine, is a dynamic, patient-centric field in which healthcare providers can connect with patients in deeper, more impactful and meaningful ways. This individual approach operates under the principle that every person is different, so their care plan should be equally unique. Each patient has their own health risks, lifestyle choices and goals for their health. Patients are looking for new customized and practical ways forward.

From treating chronic illness to preventative care, by unifying data to coordinate with an engaged patient, you can help promote sustainable health and develop targeted treatment and prevention plans that are more effective. As the world of personalized medicine is still growing, the benefits of patient-centric care (for both practitioners and patients) continue to rise to the top.

Get personalized

To coincide with people’s unique identifying traits and characteristics, today’s care plans can be tailored to each individual. Personalized patient care is about transforming the patient experience by delivering a 360-degree approach.

As a medical professional, you look at a patient’s entire health, not just whether or not they have a disease, to offer a personalized approach. This comprehensive method means you account for the whole of the person, including all the areas of life that impact your health like nutrition, personal relationships, stress, exercise and the mind-body connection.

Give patients the opportunity to engage with their health by identifying life areas where they are motivated to make changes that benefit them in the long run. This typically means providing them with a personalized plan that includes forward-thinking care decisions like referrals for continued and expanded care or health considerations beyond traditional medicine. This could help strengthen your relationship with your patients, allowing them to trust your guidance and feel comfortable with you as their practitioner, knowing you’re not simply offering them a generic approach, but rather working with them diligently to improve their individual circumstance.

Utilize the data

More and higher-quality patient information is the best ally in your transition to precision medicine. The good thing is that it’s more available than ever before.

Beyond just labs, medical tests and examinations, healthcare professionals now have access to the data from sensors, advanced medical instruments, trackers and smartwatches. This wealth of data can help you provide quality care. During initial visits, assess a patient holistically. Technology and strategic data collection can help you capture the big picture and craft a personalized approach; specifically, by looking at family history, genetic markers, lifestyle habits and other biometric data during their visit.

Use the power of data to unlock a relationship where you can work with your patient to create a realistic timeline for health improvement. Engage them in their health care decision-making and empower them to make informed choices.

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Help prevent illness

Personalized health care is often discussed when dealing with long-term illnesses, but it is also carving out a spot in preventative care. One of the most significant benefits is how it shifts the focus of medicine from reactive to proactive.

Previously, it was a common medical practice to diagnose a likely healthcare condition after assessing the onset of symptoms. Medicine typically came into the picture after the disease was identified. With personalized patient care, the engagement may begin at a check-up or routine physical. After gathering a patient’s latest labs and results, you can craft a specially made routine of medical care and precautionary steps to preempt disease and address underlying risk factors for illness.

As healthcare professionals, you can better predict which treatments will work best for a unique individual by engaging in precision medicine. A personalized approach combined with preliminary data can help address a disease or condition before it develops.

Look to the future

The next generation of patient engagement is about crafting a care journey. By utilizing data and technology, you can create more personalized plans for each individual patient, and ultimately, foster more effective outcomes. This new data-powered approach to patient treatments will help instill confidence in your patient, giving you a deeper relationship that will pay dividends down the road – potentially in the form of loyalty, positive reviews and referrals.

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