Improve patient motivation and compliance with home programs with gamification plus rewards.
We think we have found a solution to improving compliance and motivation with home exercise programs. We call it gamification plus rewards. Keep reading to find out how it works.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. This a fancy way to say that if you do activity X, you get prize Y. If you have ever played a game this should be familiar.
Studies show gamification and reward systems create motivation to continue the task to receive more rewards. This appears to hold true with participation in exercise as well. After all, who doesn’t feel good achieving a milestone or reaching a certain goal?
Reward details
In our case, this translates into giving rewards for a patient when they do a certain activity. So what do we need the patient to do? We need them to be consistent with home programs and to update us on progress.
In Exercise Pro Live, patients receive stars for consistently doing their home exercise program and reporting pain and difficulty levels. Once they reach 50 stars they achieve a bronze level. At 100 stars they move to silver and 200 stars puts them into the gold tier.
Exercise Pro Live blends exercise prescription and mobile technology to improve physical therapy intervention. Try your free two week trial.
Reinforcing the good behavior
We have found that gamification works best when the person knows two things. The first is their current reward level. The second is knowing what prize they get at the next level.
When a patient uses the Exercise Now phone app or their personal online portal, their current level is indicated. And they can see the prize or next level.
Your clinic can award prizes for reaching different levels. For example, making it to the silver level, might get them a cupcake. Making it to gold could let them skip an exercise in the clinic that they don’t like. tangible rewards reinforces good home program compliance.
Additional reward options
Home exercise programs are not the only area that can be assisted. In clinic behavior can also be improved.
A clinician can award stars when a patient does a good thing. For example, if your patient tells great jokes or refers a friend to the clinic, they can receive stars. Maybe arriving on time or not missing appointments can result in extra star rewards.
By strategically providing rewards, you can adjust patient behavior in areas that can promote a smoother rehabilitation.
Gamification and rewards are only limited to the imagination
In conclusion, Remember, people work hard to achieve rewards whether tangible or intangible. The new rewards program can help increase motivation, home program compliance and in clinic performance. We hope you enjoy this new feature of Exercise Pro Live. Check out the Exercise Pro Live features.
Exercise Pro Live is affordable and easy to use. Your patients will love receiving their home programs on their phones and mobile devices. Check out our Introduction Special.