The way patients engage with healthcare is actively moving away from the traditional in-person approach. This has been accelerated by the pandemic during which many people relied on technology to stay connected with healthcare professionals. As we move forward, it is clear we will not return completely to the pre-Covid model of care being delivered face-to-face because of a shortage of capacity in the system. Healthcare’s challenge is to improve how patients engage with healthcare – and technology presents an opportunity to allow faster access without having to physically travel for appointments. Here, I will look at why patient engagement is so crucial and how the digital approach can improve patient outcomes and safety.
A patient’s experience of healthcare is defined by their interactions and is central to ensuring high quality outcomes and clinical safety. This engagement represents every element of that experience, including the ease of access, the relationship with their clinician and the reliability of the systems supporting the process. Should an interaction not function effectively, it will not only reduce the likelihood of the patient achieving the best possible outcome, but it also drives waste of all types. As the UK public health system struggles with record-high backlogs , there has never been a more vital time to find new, efficient and effective means of supporting high quality engagement. Well-designed digital services can provide quality engagement for patients and can offer answers to many of the challenges now facing the NHS. With the ability to provide patients with access to clinicians at their own convenience, an effective digital service enables faster, more effective engagement with healthcare when compared to in-person services.
But what does an effective digital consultation service look like? It should provide patients with direct access to the right clinician at first contact. It should offer different modalities of communication to the patient, supporting those with digital challenges. There should be the opportunity for the patient to tell their story and describe their symptoms both in the consultation and through structured pre-consultation questionnaires. Patients should be able to access information about their condition, the outcome of the consultation, and reliable and clear arrangements for next steps. Clinicians should have access to all the appropriate information and training to support their decision making. All this should be underpinned by a governance structure that is clinically lead, responsive to patients and identifies sub-optimal clinical performance quickly and reliably, and in a way that is more robust than in-person services.
At HBSUK, our Virtual Lucy digital approach to triage and clinical assessment collects patient experience data to monitor patient engagement. Fast access to clinical experts is highly values by patients, with 98% of appointments conducted within 48-hours of contact. Most (90%) patients with Musculoskeletal (MSK) problems who use the Virtual Lucy platform report having their problem dealt with by the first clinician that they consult, with more than 30% completing their treatment entirely digitally. Not only this, Virtual Lucy delivers high levels of patient engagement with 97% of platform users reporting that they felt able to describe their problem, that it was understood by their clinican and that they knew what was going to happen next.
Done properly, a digital approach to healthcare is essential to solving many of the challenges of access that we face today and will improve how patients engage with their clinicians, so long as it is designed to support a service that puts patient safety and clinical outcomes at the forefront.
***
About HBSUK
At HBSUK, our focus is on giving people choice in accessing the right care to meet their needs when it’s needed. Our digital first approach via our triage platform, Virtual Lucy™, ensures all cases are assessed by clinical specialists typically within 72 hours. Patients interact with us at their convenience and from where they want. For our NHS clients we have reduced waiting list backlogs by deploying clinical teams in less than 4 weeks The HBSUK Medical Board includes some of the country’s most senior clinicians, who oversee all services. We can provide long term support or be brought in to solve a specific issue, while improving pathways and leaving sustainable improvements.
留言