Improving the patient experience with digital technology
The last twelve months have been transformative for all industries, but healthcare has been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus and the threat of transmission created unforeseen challenges, with hospitals exceeding capacity and routine appointments delayed or cancelled. However, in the face of adversity one thing stands out as a triumph and that is the role that digital technology played in keeping the NHS open.
As the world becomes more connected, there is a greater expectation from patients to receive digital-first care, and that is a sentiment shared by the clinicians themselves. A recent study by Mobiquity found that in the UK, over three-quarters of UK GPs recognise that digital tools including remote monitoring, telemedicine, video consultations, video examinations, applications, and wearable tech will be important to the future of medicine.
With the use of digital technology in healthcare now at an all-time high, let’s take a look at how it can be used to enhance the patient experience:
Self Service
Interactive touch screens for check-ins or information can be used by patients to allow them to carry out tasks without assistance. They can be integrated and branded accordingly and give a range of powerful benefits for medical teams. Increased cost and time savings for the medical teams frees up resources to be utilised elsewhere. Patients are also empowered to have more autonomy when it comes to their own care and are able to give doctors information about their needs before their appointment.
Familiarity
Patients have had to adapt to new methods of medical provision due to the pandemic. One of the side effects of this is that they are now much more familiar with the use of digital technology in healthcare. An Accenture survey found that ‘most’ patients already use digital self-service tools for health management. This helps to make the move towards a digital provision of healthcare a quicker and smoother transition. Patients, therefore, are able to access the benefits associated with digital healthcare much quicker.
Soft Touch Healthcare
Digital technology such as apps can also be used to prevent health risks as well as treat them. Apps especially can help tackle issues such as healthy eating, fitness as well as more immediate health concerns such as skin cancer checks of blood pressure. This helps to reduce the strain on health services and frees up more resources to tackle other health issues.
It is inevitable that healthcare is to become more and more integrated with digital technology. By utilising it well, healthcare providers can improve the healthcare that they provide, whilst also reducing their costs. This helps to create a cycle of healthcare innovation and improves the patient experience.
At Distec we provide a range of medical-grade healthcare solutions.
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