How Often Do Patients Need to Hear Advice Before Taking Action

While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, studies often suggest that people generally need to hear a message at least 7 times and up to 21 times in 4 different locations (for example: email inbox, text message, phone call, and face-to-face in-clinic) before it prompts action.

Studies also suggest that more than 30% of patients don’t understand their treatment plan. It gets worse as patients’ education levels decrease. At the same time, studies have shown that orthopedic patient education improves patient outcomes.

When dealing with orthopedic issues, many patients seek immediate relief from pain through medication, injections, physical therapy, or even surgery. However, one critical aspect often overlooked and misunderstood is the root cause of these problems: lifestyle and weight management.

Understanding the importance of weight loss can significantly improve orthopedic health and overall well-being. This added pressure increases the odds of sustaining a musculoskeletal (MSK) injury and can lead to other orthopedic issues, such as osteoarthritis and joint pain. Pre- and postoperative complications in obese patients may include wound healing, infections, blood clots, blood loss, and dislocation of the replacement joint. In addition to contributing to arthritis and other MSK health issues, obesity is also linked to diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, liver disease, pancreatitis, certain tumors and cancers, and psychiatric disorders. (AAOS)

By addressing the root cause, patients can alleviate these symptoms, prevent future problems, and enhance their quality of life.

The Importance of Hearing It Multiple Times in Multiple Ways Over Time

Research shows that patients often need to hear a message multiple times in multiple ways before taking action. This is particularly true when it comes to weight loss and lifestyle changes. Here are eight reasons why repetition is crucial:

• Cut through the Noise: Americans are inundated with messages today. The average person receives 121 emails, 6 phone calls, and 33 text messages per day, and that doesn’t account for all the other ads on TV, radio, social media, and other apps also asking people to buy this or do that. Your patient’s health is more important than that.
• Complexity of Lifestyle Changes: Weight loss involves dietary adjustments, increased physical activity, and sometimes psychological support. Hearing the message repeatedly helps break down these complex changes into manageable steps. Prescribe FIT’s health coaching program always starts with motivation and gradually moves into education, then nutritional advice, followed by physical activity, and other lifestyle changes over time.
• Limited Health Literacy: Understanding the impact of weight on orthopedic health requires a certain level of health literacy. Repeated exposure to this information helps patients grasp its importance more clearly. Limited health literacy is an epidemic. But this education is critical to population health.
• Support System: Encouragement from healthcare providers, family, friends, and health coaches can reinforce the message and support the lifestyle modifications along the journey to better health. Hearing it from multiple people, multiple times, helps. In a survey of 600 Baby Boomers, 60% of the respondents would download an app to use if their physician recommended it, compared to only 18% who would do the same if a family member suggested it.
• Trust in Healthcare Providers: 83% of patients depend on their providers for their well-being. Building trust with your patients can make them more receptive to their advice. Regular, proactive discussions about preventative medicine can strengthen this trust and encourage action. 40% of our patients join Prescribe FIT simply because “my doctor told me to.”
• Perceived Urgency: The more you hear about the connection between weight and orthopedic health, the more urgent and critical it may seem. This urgency can be a powerful motivator for change. 12% of our patients at Prescribe FIT don’t book their first health coaching call until their “FINAL NOTICE” email and text message is sent.
• Previous Experiences: Past experiences with healthcare or attempts to lose weight can influence a patient’s willingness to take action. Consistent, positive reinforcement can help overcome past negative experiences.
• Clear Communication: Clear, consistent messaging from healthcare providers ensures that patients understand the importance of the treatment path and how to achieve it.

Weight loss is a proven and powerful tool in managing and preventing orthopedic issues. But most patients don’t understand that. By addressing weight as a root cause, patients can start to understand how lifestyle changes can alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance their overall quality of life. But patients have to be told “what” to do, “how” to do it, and most importantly “why” they should do it multiple times.

Prescribe FIT’s Educational Outreach for Orthopedic Patients

Our Fast Track to Health^TM patient outreach campaign was created in partnership with our partner orthopedic practices to maximize engagement and retention which ultimately improving outcomes. We’ve done years of research, ran multiple A/B tests, and analyzed data points from hundreds of thousands of messages to determine which words and what cadence engages the most patients in their adoption of a healthier lifestyle. Here is what we found:

1. Email and Text Messages are the Best Communication Methods: Our average patient is 67.5 years old. Studies show 74% percent of baby boomers prefer email for receiving communication — email is also Gen X’s preferred channel. And contrary to popular belief, more than 80% of Baby Boomers have a cell phone. Email is at the center of our outreach campaign but it also includes phone calls and text messages.
2. On-Demand Health Information on a Website is Also Needed: Numerous studies also report how often patients research health information online. One study says “the internet is always the #1 source of health information.” Another study even suggests that 84% of Boomers use the internet for sourcing health information. As a result, we’ve also created an educational landing page for patients to learn more about this treatment path. We also suggest adding landing pages on each of our partner practice’s websites with more information. Here are some examples at EmergeOrtho, Springfield, OrthoEast, Central Valley Hip & Knee, Mountain Valley, and Orthopaedic Associates.
3. Easy-to-Understand Messaging is Required: We found that a majority of our patients are at a 6th-grade reading level. So our communication is designed in a patient-friendly manner using simple words, short sentences, bullet points, and lots of white space. Medical jargon is also avoided. Before any message is used, it’s analyzed for readability by AI.
4. Saying It Different Ways at Different Times Improves Results: Finally, we analyzed how many messages we should send, how often, and at what times of the day or days of the week messages are read. As a result, we send at least 10 messages at various times of day and days of the week to every patient who hasn’t responded yet. Emails come from two separate email addresses (1 from the practice and 1 from Prescribe FIT) with different designs and tones as well.

Remember, hearing the message multiple times from trusted sources can make all the difference. Here’s what one Prescribe FIT patient, Jeanne B., had to say about her journey:

“Thank you for chasing me down, sending multiple emails, calling me to answer questions, and encouraging me to start this program. I was diehard against it at first and didn’t think it would work. But now after just 100 days, I’m down 25lbs and 14% of my starting body weight – at 68 years old! Prescribe FIT would be a wonderful gift for everyone! I sincerely hope you continue to chase down whoever else needs to transform their life!” 

Think about this way: If you had a cure to cancer, wouldn’t you inform your patients about it as soon as possible? Like cancer, obesity is a leading cause of death in the United States, but unlike cancer, it’s one that is entirely preventable. But you can’t help your patients if you don’t tell them — multiple times. It’s what they need. And what they want.