Healthcare's Content Crisis: How Looped Helps Clinics Keep Up with the Digital Attention Span

The digital age has its advantages, but society's collectively shrinking attention span isn't one of them. Lack of focus may not seem like a serious issue, but if you're trying to read health-related content, it can be dangerous. Now, a new app called Looped is aiming to help patients by working with shortened attention spans, not against them.

Looped's founder, Sam R. Patel, is a medical consultant and entrepreneur. He and his team developed the app in response to a growing crisis of communication in the healthcare field.

"When it comes to pre-care and post-care communication, many clinics are failing," he says. "When patients go to a clinic, they get a pamphlet of PDFs and papers, and no one reads that. We have to evolve and communicate better with patients because they deserve it."

Patel explains that there's equal frustration on the clinic's side. Doctors are understandably concerned when patients turn to influencers instead of their care team. But as he shares, "A patient that doesn't know anything about their healthcare is not going to be a good patient. They're not going to be compliant. They're not going to have their best outcomes. They're not going to be confident. And that's not good healthcare."

To help bridge the growing divide, Patel decided to bring healthcare communication into the digital age, making it more approachable and personal.

"We built an app that has a social media feel with expert-level care and information," he says. The layout resembles that of photo- and video-based social media platforms, but qualified health experts create all content.

Looped enables clinics to communicate with patients in formats that they'll engage with. When a medical clinic or practice signs up, it receives a branded version of the app. Each patient has individual access, and the clinic can upload personalized content.

Patel illustrates with an example: "Let's imagine that a patient named Joe is doing an Emsculpt treatment. He just started in the clinic. The clinic uploads a video series into the app."

"Joe wants to know, 'What do I need to do before my first visit? I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect.' Joe can go and watch the videos outlined per week. Week one covers what to do before your visit, week two covers what to do after your visit, and so on."

By breaking critical information into bite-sized videos instead of overwhelming patients with multi-page printouts, clinics can ensure that patients fully understand upcoming procedures. But like many social media apps, Looped is designed to keep patients coming back.

"When it comes to healthcare, positive results are expected. They're a given. Now, you have to give your patients something more: A positive experience. They need to feel like they trust you and that they can have confidence in the care they'll receive," Patel shares.

For many patients, gaining valuable information about their health is rewarding in itself. However, if they need more of an incentive to get started with Looped, the app offers rewards just for watching videos. When patients earn a certain number of points, they can put them toward upcoming treatments.

Looped offers clinicians an opportunity to regain patients' trust and offer quality health education. Competing with social media giants as a medical provider might sound next to impossible. However, with some help from Patel's new app, any practice can stay relevant in a time when doing so is more challenging than ever.