Online Patient Support Groups in Your Practice

Studies have found that online patient support groups can provide a valuable resource for individuals by offering a sense of community, information, and support. That’s why BodySite is excited to announce Patient Groups—online patient support groups for groups of patients with similar health goals or struggles, going through the same care plan, or who are part of the same health challenge. Patient Groups provide a sense of community among patients and are a HIPPA compliant way to foster patient group discussion, all moderated by your health practice.

As you might guess, living with any difficult to manage heath concern, especially a chronic illness, can be an isolating and challenging experience. People dealing with obesity, diabetes, Crohn’s, hormone deficiencies and so many other conditions are numerous and yet, these patients often feel alone. It’s important for patients to know so many others are going through the same experience, and to find connection.

One study, covering the efficacy of online support groups for HIV/AIDS, found that the groups promoted: “increased optimism, emotional well-being, social well-being…improved disease management, and feeling confident in the relationship with physicians.” [1]

Here are a few reasons why online support groups may be a tool for your patients, and how you can begin implementing it in your practice.

Community and Emotional Support

One of the main benefits of online patient support groups is the sense of community that they provide. By connecting with others who share similar experiences, patients can feel less alone and more understood. 

This can be particularly helpful for those who may not have a strong support network in their personal life or who live far from their healthcare provider. By being part of a community of individuals who share similar experiences, patients can find validation, support, and a sense of belonging.

In addition, online patient support groups can also provide emotional support to patients. Living with a chronic illness can be emotionally taxing, and support groups can provide a space where patients can share their feelings and receive support from others who understand their struggles. This can help patients feel more empowered to manage their condition, as they know that they are not alone in their challenges. [2]

Information and Suggestions

Online patient support groups can also be a valuable source of information and resources for patients. Members can share their experiences, tips, and strategies for managing symptoms and navigating the healthcare system. 

By learning from others who have successfully managed their condition, patients can gain knowledge and skills that can help them to take control of their health and well-being. 

Additionally, the environment of a doctor-moderated online support group is such that misinformation is less likely because the healthcare provider can step in to ensure that any inaccurate suggestions or information can be clarified or corrected.

Providing a Platform for Discussion

Finally, online patient support groups can help to empower patients by providing a platform for them. Patients who previously felt isolated now have a voice when sharing their concerns and when providing meaningful advice to others. This can be empowering for patients, as it allows them to use their experiences to create positive change and to make a difference in the lives of their peers.

Implementing Patient Groups With BodySite

Online patient support groups can be an invaluable resource for patients when implemented effectively, and when supervised by a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Remote patient care platform, BodySite, gives health practices the ability to create their own custom patient support groups with just a few clicks. BodySite’s Patient Groups are provided inside of a HIPAA compliant software and give patients and providers the ability to initiate discussions inside the patient group.

We recommend combining this feature with our Group Visit telemedicine functionality, so that patients can re-cap what they’ve learned from your telemedicine calls, as well as follow up on their progress, struggles, and more.

Patient Groups can even go beyond chronic illness care. You may have certain patients who are on a specific challenge, such as a weight loss challenge or New Year challenge. You can create a group for this purpose, with all of the patients doing that challenge. Or, maybe you want to create a group of patients for everyone following the Mediterranean diet for Diabetes program—you can do that too! Just like many of BodySite’s features, the patient group feature is fully customizable and extremely easy to use.

In your BodySite account, you can create as many groups as you’d like and your groups can have as many patients as you’d like. You could add every patient going through the same program or challenge, just a select few, every patient working through a similar condition or even all of your patients. The possibilities are endless!

Once your group is created, both team members and patients can post messages, and patients/team members can comment on those posts. Patient Groups give a sense of camaraderie among other patients and their care team. Groups are also a great place to post announcements for certain subsets of patients.

To start using groups, do the following:

  1. From the Dashboard of your BodySite account, click on Groups
  2. Click +Create New Group
  3. Give your group a name
  4. Select a photo from your library
  5. Set a Short Description and Long Description for your group. The short description will display right under the group photo on the Discussion board of the group. The long description is a great place to set goals and expectations, provide evergreen resources for the group or to include any rules the group might have.
  6. Click Members and select +Invite Members to add people to your group. You can add both team members and patients.
  7. Once added, all invited members will receive an invite to opt-in to the group. They will also see a notification on their BodySite dashboard.
  8. Head to the discussion board to make your first post!

Not yet a BodySite provider? BodySite is offering a one month free trial with complete access to its patient care guidance and monitoring solution that is branded for your office. Or sign up (above) for a no obligation immersive self-guided live preview of the platform. If you’re already a client of BodySite, Patient Groups is already available inside your account!

 

Citations:

  1. Mo PK, Coulson NS. Are online support groups always beneficial? A qualitativeexploration of the empowering and disempowering processes of participation within HIV/AIDS-related online support groups. Int J Nurs Stud. 2014 Jul;51(7):983-93. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.11.006. Epub 2013 Nov 26. PMID: 24342449.
  1. NIMH. (n.d.). Chronic illness and mental health: Recognizing and treating depression. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/chronic-illness-mental-health