Enhancing patient participation in healthcare operations through patient training and education using the theoretical lens of media synchronicity

The article proposes and tests a model that examines the type of communication media (personal meetings, group classes, and written materials) that is most effective to train and educate patients how to perform two critical self-management tasks in the treatment of diabetes. The model is based on media synchronicity theory (MST), a media selection theory. The model was tested by surveying 326 patients diagnosed with diabetes. We found that patients best mastered coproduction tasks that required conveying large amounts of information when written documents were provided. However, when coproduction tasks required comprehension of information that had multiple interpretations, patients increased their coproduction task behaviors when the training was face-to-face. Also, as predicted by MST, when learning the healthcare task required conveying little new information that patients could comprehend without struggling, patients trained with face-to-face media performed this task better. Finally, as expected, when patients increased the number of task behaviors they performed, their health outcomes improved. We discuss how these findings apply not only to healthcare operations, but also to other services that require extensive customer coproduction.