Elsa's patient education part of research

As part of the so-called NORA project, Elsa Science has been involved in conducting a study, which investigates whether the Elsa app can contribute to improving communication between patient and healthcare. Now, a research article describing the study and its results has been published.

The NORA project is a Nordic collaboration financed by NordForsk. The overall goal of the project is to develop an individually tailored medical method to manage RA.

Earlier during the project, it was seen that patients may need to be strengthened in making themselves heard and gain increased self-confidence when it comes to discussing their treatment with their doctor. This is the background to why Elsa Science, in collaboration with researchers from the NORA project, developed the educational program "The healthcare encounter".

The program gives a basic knowledge in treatment as well as tips on how to practically prepare and act before and during a doctor's visit. It is available in the Elsa app.

Survey and in-depth interviews

Users of the Elsa app in Sweden answered questions about their experiences from healthcare, with a focus on communication, before they took part of the program.

Some of the participants were also interviewed in depth, after taking part of the program and after a previously planned doctor’s visit. The interviews form the basis of the published research article.

What was the conclusion?

The results show that the participants valued the dialogue they had with their doctor/nurse after preparing using Elsa's program. At the same time, a digital self-care app like Elsa would have to become part of healthcare itself, so that both patient and healthcare staff have a common understanding and starting point.

Collaboration around digital tools

It cannot be ignored that a good patient experience requires collaboration. Doctors and nurses must actively listen to the patient's concerns and problems, improve communication, and have an approach that puts the patient at the center.

Digital tools are here to stay and a review should be made of how these are best integrated into healthcare. This includes finding a balance between digital and physical meetings, what patients can do themselves before a meeting, and what the role of healthcare should be to support the patient in the best way.

The complete research article can be read here.