Don’t Lose Sight of Your Humanity Amidst Your Technology

Christy Pretzinger, president and chief executive officer, WriterGirl

“Technology is ubiquitous. And it seems to me that in many cases, personal interactions have suffered with its growth. As I ponder the effects of a digitized world, I wonder about its consequences for healthcare consumers,” says Christy Pretzinger of WriterGirl, a nationally recognized healthcare content consultancy.

Here’s an excerpt from Pretzinger’s new article:

When we [create content for healthcare consumers across the country], we think about the people on the other end. What is bringing them to this piece of content? Is our language plain enough to help them make decisions when faced with serious or scary health challenges? Is our tone welcoming?

It seems to me that hospitals and health systems have an unrivaled opportunity to treat every interaction with a healthcare consumer — virtual or otherwise — as a chance to communicate with a person. After all, no matter the method, all communication is still a one-to-one, person-to-person exchange.

With technology permeating healthcare, it’s easy to forget that there’s a real person on the other side of the screen. From e-scheduling and virtual visits to online bots confirming a person’s status as a human being, people are met with technology at every step in their healthcare journey.

Technology is prevalent in direct patient care, and clearly helps to improve outcomes in most cases. But a recent situation gave me pause.

Read the full article now: I’m Human. Are You?

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President