TECHNOLOGY  TELEHEALTH


Step into the future


How can technology help practice managers save resources and improve patient care?


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HERE have been some big promises made about the benefits of increasing the use of technology in delivering healthcare, with supporters arguing


that doing so will cut costs, save resources and improve patient care. Finding ways to provide better care in a more efficient


way has long been the dream of many an NHS manager and is proving particularly pertinent in these economically straitened times. Motivated by the hope that advanced IT systems are key to realising this dream, the Department of Health in England has launched a campaign to dramati- cally ramp up the use of telehealth in the NHS over the next five years, while the Scottish Government has also signalled its support to increase uptake. When talking about technology in healthcare, there are


various terms in use, but the most common are telehealth and telecare. The former is generally defined as the use of electronic equipment to monitor patients at a distance (through mobile phones, internet services or self-monitor- ing equipment). It also includes practice-based technology such as patient self check-in and ‘surgery pods’ to monitor patients’ blood pressure, weight, alcohol consumption and more.


The term telecare, meanwhile, tends to refer to the use


of technology to help patients live independently in their homes (i.e. falls monitors and motion sensors) and may be less relevant to general practice management. The main aims of using technology in healthcare are


to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, deliver cost savings, improve quality of life by giving patients greater control over their care and to reduce pressure on NHS resources.


TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE For practice managers, some relevant telehealth systems include texting patients with blood results (which can reduce use of staff resources), texting appointment re- minders (reduces Did Not Attends), emailing prescriptions (increases accuracy and is easy for staff to fit around other duties), self-testing at home (reduces need for practice


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appointments and home visits) and patient self-testing pods in the surgery (reduces consultation times, increases ‘patient ownership’ and results can be uploaded direct to patient records). Each week seems to bring new reports of the latest


projects making use of technology in healthcare, but there are still many practices who have yet to get on board. Any new idea has its supporters and critics but if practice man- agers carefully consider which hi-tech systems suit their practices’ needs, then technology can provide an effective means of delivering more efficient patient care.


HI-TECH SOLUTIONS One practice that has embraced telehealth is Tranent Medical Practice in East Lothian, near Edinburgh, which has a patient list of 13,000. In the last few years, they have launched a new website (www.tranentmedical practice.co.uk) which allows patients to order repeat prescriptions, complete a patient survey, update contact details and even update their clinical record online. The site also links to the practice’s Twitter feed, offers various information sheets and forms to download and plans are also in place to introduce online appointment bookings once the software becomes available. A patient newsletter was launched late last year and mailed out to all patients in the catchment area, informing them of all the new developments. One of the biggest changes seen by Tranent’s patients is the addition of the computerised ‘surgery pod’, installed in a discrete area next to reception, that allows patients to perform their own tests. The touch-screen pod is programmed with practice-specific settings and meas- ures blood pressure and weight and can record alcohol consumption. Patients can use it before consultations or at their convenience during practice opening hours. The results are then automatically uploaded to their clinical record and any abnormal results are immediately flagged up and acted on by practice staff. Patients attending for appointments are given the op- tion to use the self check-in system, while the new Patient


SUMMER 2012  ISSUE 6


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