Image by: freepik
The power of community
It’s no secret that people facing health challenges often experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and fear as they go through their health journey.
It’s no secret that people facing health challenges often experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and fear as they go through their health journey. Recognizing this, the healthcare landscape is shifting to a more patient-centered approach, with community support slowly beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.
Why is community support so powerful you ask?
A recent study out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital showed that high Perceived Social Support (PSS) is strongly associated with recovery after injury.
Surprised? Not really.
Surveying 907 moderate to severely injured patients, the study found that lower Perceived Social Support (PSS) is strongly correlated with worse functional and mental health outcome metrics.
Patients reporting weak or nonexistent Perceived Social Support were more likely to suffer from new functional limitations and chronic pain, in addition to being less likely to be back at work/school and being more likely to experience other mental health conditions, such as PTSD, depression and anxiety, at 6-12 months post-injury.
The study deemed them “high risk” for poor post discharge outcomes after injury, and proceeded to recommend creating a system that encourages building a stronger support network for these high-risk patients, emphasizing the importance of strong social support networks in improving recovery outcomes.
The future of healthcare is collaborative.
At Maitri, we understand the power of community in helping individuals through their health journey. Our user centric app is designed to empower individuals to build their tribe, ask for and manage help and watch their community show up for them in a meaningful way.