Digital engagement has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing modern healthcare systems. Providers, policymakers and patients broadly agree on its promise, from improved treatment adherence and better outcomes to stronger trust and more resilient healthcare models. However, despite years of sustained investment in digital health solutions, meaningful patient engagement continues to lag behind expectations.
Drawing on academic research and industry insight, Swiss HealthTech dacadoo has put together an evidence-based view of why digital engagement so often fails to deliver in healthcare, and what can be done to improve it.
Why engagement matters
A growing body of evidence underlines why engagement matters so deeply. Academic research consistently shows that patients who are actively involved in their own care and clinical decision-making are more likely to stick to treatment plans, manage long-term conditions effectively and achieve better health outcomes.
In short, engagement works. The unresolved issue is not whether engagement is important, but how it should be designed and embedded into everyday care pathways.
Healthcare systems are not lacking in digital tools. Patient portals, mobile health apps, telehealth services, wearable devices and AI-powered assistants have all expanded access to care and improved operational efficiency at scale. In theory, these technologies bring healthcare closer to people’s daily lives. In practice, however, increased access does not automatically translate into sustained participation or behavioural change.
Research highlights why this gap persists. A large scoping review examining digital technologies and patient engagement found that user-related barriers, including limited digital literacy, attitudes towards technology and levels of trust, remain among the most common reasons for non-use, even when digital solutions are readily available. Too often, digital engagement is treated as a bolt-on feature rather than a long-term relationship that must be intentionally designed.
So what actually works?
Research increasingly points to the value of a hybrid approach that balances technological capability with human connection. Digital tools are most effective when they support, rather than replace, human care. Technology excels at scale, data continuity and real-time insights, while clinicians and care teams bring empathy, context, motivation and trust. When digital insights inform meaningful conversations instead of attempting to automate them away, engagement becomes deeper and more sustainable.
Personalisation also plays a central role. Patients are far more likely to engage when digital experiences reflect their real lives, goals, limitations and preferences, rather than treating them as abstract data points.
A 2025 Milken Institute study found that patients who feel recognised as individuals are more likely to follow care plans, maintain realistic expectations and build trust with providers. Logging into a platform that feels personally relevant can strengthen the patient-provider relationship and improve long-term outcomes.
This thinking underpins dacadoo’s approach to digital health engagement. The company focuses on designing digital health experiences that feel human, motivate everyday behaviour and support long-term wellbeing rather than short-term interaction.
Its Digital Health Engagement Platform (DHEP) is designed to reinforce existing care relationships by combining data-driven insights, behavioural science and personalisation.
Ultimately, effective digital engagement is not about deploying more tools. It is about better design, thoughtful integration and keeping people, rather than platforms, at the centre of healthcare.
Read the full blog from dacadoo here.
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