The importance of gamification in patient engagement

Healthcare is all about improving patients' health and well-being. But how do you ensure that patients really get involved in their own treatment and stay motivated to take steps towards a better life? One way to achieve this is by using gamification. This means integrating game elements, such as rewards, challenges and goals, into healthcare applications. The idea behind it is simple: turning something into a game makes it more fun and keeps people motivated longer.

At Innovattic, we see gamification as a powerful tool to get patients to actively participate in their own healthcare process. Not just because it's fun, but mainly because it works. Let's take a look at why gamification can play such a big role in healthcare and why it is worth investing in.

Healthcare is all about improving patients' health and well-being. But how do you ensure that patients really get involved in their own treatment and stay motivated to take steps towards a better life? One way to achieve this is by using gamification. This means integrating game elements, such as rewards, challenges and goals, into healthcare applications. The idea behind it is simple: turning something into a game makes it more fun and keeps people motivated longer.

At Innovattic, we see gamification as a powerful tool to get patients to actively participate in their own healthcare process. Not just because it's fun, but mainly because it works. Let's take a look at why gamification can play such a big role in healthcare and why it is worth investing in.

What exactly is gamification?

Gamification means using the motivational aspects of games to encourage people to perform certain actions. For example, think of earning points for following up on your therapy, or achieving small goals in your recovery process, such as doing a daily exercise or taking medication on time. This creates a sense of achievement and progress, which is often a key motivation for patients to continue with their treatment.

Innovattic uses gamification in the healthcare applications we develop so that patients not only have access to their health data in a user-friendly way, but are also actively encouraged to improve their health.

Does gamification really work in healthcare?

Yes, and there is scientific evidence for that. For instance, a study found that gamification has a clear impact on how faithfully patients follow their treatment. Patients who used an app with gamification stayed on track with their medication and exercises much better than patients who followed a traditional approach (Huang et al., 2023). This not only helps them maintain physical activity, but also helps them better manage their symptoms and understand their disease.

In addition, patients with chronic conditions often experience negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, which affects their health and quality of life. Gamification adds game elements that make them find self-management more fun and enjoyable. For example, by receiving rewards and positive feedback, patients feel more motivated and happier, which helps them maintain healthy habits in the long term and better persevere in taking care of their health.

Another study showed that gamification also promotes behavioural change in terms of exercise. The results show that gamified interventions are effective in promoting physical activity, especially compared to people who have low levels of exercise. Also, gamified interventions work better than traditional interventions (Mazeas et al., 2022). This shows that gamification can make a world of difference to patients' overall health.

Why gamification is important for healthcare

Gamification not only offers a fun way to use healthcare applications; it also has a number of tangible benefits:

1. Better patient engagement: People who are more involved in their own care often achieve better results. Game elements keep patients motivated to follow their treatment plan, which benefits their health.

2. More adherence: One of the biggest challenges in healthcare is making sure people stay on track with their therapy. Gamified apps help patients stay on track by rewarding them for small successes.

3. Lower healthcare costs: If patients adhere better to their treatment, this can prevent complications and hospital admissions in the long run. This means lower costs for both the patient and the healthcare facility.

4. Positive user experience: At Innovattic, we believe in simple and accessible technology. By combining gamification with intuitive design, we ensure that patients not only benefit from the app, but also enjoy using it.

Why investing in gamification is worthwhile

Healthcare organisations that opt for gamification are not only investing in technology, but also in the future of their patients. By using game elements, you can naturally motivate patients to actively engage with their health. It is a smart, modern way to increase patient engagement, which ultimately leads to better healthcare outcomes and lower costs.

Although developing a gamified healthcare application requires some initial investment, the long-term benefits far outweigh this. Innovattic develops applications that are not only technologically reliable but also patient-centred, aiming to improve care in a fun and effective way.

Conclusion

Gamification is a powerful tool to engage patients in their own healthcare process. Research shows that game elements in healthcare apps not only increase compliance, but also ensure lasting behavioural change. For healthcare organisations, this means better results, satisfied patients and lower costs. Investing in gamification is therefore not only a step forward in technology, but also in the quality of care.