Connecting all stages of the patient journey to transform care delivery
Technology forms an integral part of the future of medical care. Today the focus of innovation has shifted towards creating a cohesive digital patient engagement to enable a borderless continuum of care.
Patients today are demanding greater control over their healthcare experience. The rising expectations mean that hospitals and clinics are challenged to create a true digital engagement with patients in real-time, securely delivering test results, providing assistance, and offering information that will allow them to to be more participative in their care journey.
Through the use of real-time communication and healthcare apps, it’s now possible to create a holistic patient care pathway that streamlines communications from the first interaction with a healthcare practitioner all the way through admission, discharge and post-discharge care.
Pre-admission digital engagement
Technology supports personalized healthcare that wasn’t previously possible. Through telemedicine the patient is even able to consult with a specialist through their mobile device in real-time.
With patient appointment no-show rates reported to reach 20% at urban hospitals and clinics, and as high as 50% at more specialized outpatient clinics1, healthcare organizations are looking for ways to help them optimize pre-admission patient engagement.
Applications enabling the exchange of real-time communication with the patient prior to admission can optimize the appointment booking process by sending automated reminders or changes to admission dates to a patient’s mobile device before their hospital visit, thus reducing costly no-shows. A health questionnaire could gather patient data and share patient preparation steps that could accelerate the admission, and address patient concerns.
Personalizing the stay at the healthcare facility
On admission to a hospital the entire process is optimized to make it as simple and stress free for the patient and their relatives. On arrival, the patient can be greeted with a personalized welcome through an eConcierge and guided to the relevant facilities through geolocation and wayfinding available on their mobile device. This facilitation improves the patient experience, while driving efficiencies by supporting the patient to arrive on time.
Through secure real-time access to the patient records, the receptionist, nurses and doctors, can optimize their time spent with the patient, saving time and reducing delays.
During their stay at the hospital, to support their comfort, the patient can access vital information, including test results and a schedule of doctor and nurse visits, giving them more clarity around their stay and condition. Integrating patient-oriented applications with the healthcare facilities can enable the patient to interact, through their smart device, with the services in the hospital, including catering and entertainment services. These self-service processes can further improve the overall efficiency of the organization allowing both healthcare professionals and administration teams to spend more time with the patient, freeing employees from time-consuming routine and admin tasks.
Post-discharge remote consultation
The real-time communication pathway between the patient and the healthcare team can be extended to the post-discharge stage. Patients can securely access their prescription information and seek advice when needed. Combined with wearable technology linked to mobile or web apps, care providers are able to monitor remotely patients who are in the comfort of their homes.
Interaction with the medical team is available via chat, voice or video call, where the patient can ask a question, visually show conditions, or exchange pictures and files during a teleconsultation session from home.
The patient is assisted at every step of the healthcare journey, ensuring a care continuum and complete patient engagement before, during and after hospitalization. We’ve partnered with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to transform clinical collaboration and revolutionize patient care with Healthcare Connect. The collaboration and communications platform provided by Healthcare Connect enables a superior patient experience, connecting the patient, nurses and doctors, and allowing them to interact with each other, anywhere, anytime.
This seamless communication and collaboration is critical in improving the quality of care and ensuring that the patient feels empowered throughout his healthcare experience.
To learn more about Healthcare Connect, visit https://connect.hello.global.ntt/healthcare_connect Healthcare connect
1Bill Toland Pittsburgh Post: No-shows cost health care system billions but clinics, hospitals may be as much to blame as patients — February 2013
