FRIENDS & FAMILY TEST
Using technology to adapt to patients’ needs
There are a thousand ways that we can all work differently to put the patient at the centre of their care. It’s simply the right thing to do. In this article, Andrew Cockayne, managing director at Captive Health, asks decision makers to think differently about patient involvement and suggests all will benefi t if we adopt simple techniques from other industries.
is going. S
Your search engine knows what you’ve been looking at, so you get ads about holiday insurance after you’ve been looking at fl ights. Advertisers know which letterbox to fl yer when planning a sales campaign. Ads on daytime TV are targeted at the demographic that is watching. Your supermarket uses loyalty card data to boost sales. Your council personalises news messages based on your profi le.
We have to accept that the public now expect (and benefi t from) services tailored to their needs. It gives us confi dence that our service providers know what they are doing. In healthcare, that makes us feel safe and life is better as a result.
That’s the positive power of digital technologies. We live in a personalised world where the market has learned to anticipate our needs. Healthcare is no diff erent. We need to start where our customers are at.
tep back from your clinic or board papers for a moment and think where the world
I like using the ‘C’ word. It makes people think. You see, customer expectations are formed outside of our services. So we need to get out more and learn from other sectors.
Here’s a real example. A future dad might come in for antenatal classes and sign up for foetal development alerts. The hospital can then email to say there’s an app that might be useful – the maps function would help get to the maternity unit in a hurry. Included is an A-Z with maternity leafl ets and the midwifery team’s contact details.
In a recent interview, Jenny Henry, patient experience lead at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, explained that her hospital has decided to “move with the times” and develop an app that does all this and more. “It’s about giving patients the right information, on the go,” she said. The trust’s head of quality added that “by giving feedback, it shows that someone is listening”.
Now imagine baby is nearly due. Mum and dad watch the video tour of the maternity unit one fi nal time. A check-up reminder comes to mum’s phone with a map and directions. She’s feeling less mobile now, and the shortest route from the car park to the clinic is pretty handy.
As she walks onto the site, the phone pings and she gets a welcome message. On departure, she is asked to rate the service she just used. Feedback about the facilities not good? When the new toilets go in, why not tell everyone who rated the old ones poorly? We know who they are…
This is not a futuristic vision. It is a current reality.
None of this is fanciful. Nor is it intrusive. It’s empowering. We should use the tools at our disposal to know our customers and anticipate their needs. Increasingly, patients will expect a personalised experience, driven by sharp customer insight. And good providers and CCGs will use that insight to inform service improvement.
From a commercial perspective, where will our mum and dad want to have baby number two? And will they recommend us to their friends and family? I would.
So we should all make the Friends and Family Test the start of a conversation, and build long- term relationships with our service users.
Through good use of technology, we can show that we care, on a whole diff erent level. That technology is easily accessible, right now.
About the author
Andrew Cockayne has managed performance and change as a senior manager in health and social care. He now runs Captive Health, an ethical company that offers customer insight and digital engagement solutions that provide exceptional value to the taxpayer.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0207 422 8260 E:
Andrew.cockayne@
captivehealth.co.uk W:
www.captivehealth.co.uk
national health executive Sep/Oct 14 | 53 national health executive Sep/Oct 14 | 53
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