FEATURE
Innovation has been, and always will be, the cornerstone of medical advancement.
Tech Your Health
Staffi ng levels in the care system appear to be hurtling towards crisis point. Jonathan Chevallier, CEO of Oxehealth, discusses why health technology is in a better position to improve care than any other ‘stop-gap’ measure.
Following a landmark study of NHS hospitals by the Royal College of Physicians and King’s College London, it’s clear that the current shortage of weekend staff requires immediate action. Worryingly, the study reveals that stroke patients admitted to hospital at the weekend are 35% more likely to die than those admitted during the week. The main cause of this difference is lower nursing staff levels.
The Head of the CQC claims ‘dangerously’ variable NHS care levels kill thousands of patients each year, and this lack of confi dence in care is becoming a major public concern. A second study, conducted by the Care and Support Alliance, uncovers the magnitude of the public’s lack of confi dence in the care system and the NHS. One in three Britons either rely on or has a family member who relies on the care system but, shockingly, six in 10 people aren’t confi dent they’ll receive ‘suffi cient’ care.
Stroke patients, for example, need around the clock care and monitoring. Nothing can replace the skills and expertise of well-trained nursing staff. However, nurses cannot constantly monitor an individual’s blood pressure, oxygen levels, heart rate and body temperature – key in
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a stroke patient’s recovery – when they’re overstretched and trying to manage a case load of patients.
However, vital sign monitoring technology can. Such technologies can continually monitor a patient’s state in real-time, while alerts inform staff of any status changes. Unfortunately, traditional wired systems are expensive, restrictive and impractical for most patients. They require vigorous cleaning and completion of associated paperwork between patients. Now, these shortcomings can be avoided with camera based non- contact vital sign monitoring.
The public demands to know what is being done and what else can be done to rectify very serious lapses in care that have come to light recently. There have been numerous reports of nurses being recruited from overseas as part of a ‘stop- gap’ fi x to nursing shortages. Health technology innovations provide a more permanent solution much closer to home.
Health technology has been hailed as the future of healthcare, and it is just that. Innovation has been, and always will be, the cornerstone of medical advancement. Without it we
wouldn’t have X-Rays, medical insulin, antibiotics or vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, tetanus and measles. Better data paves the way to a greater understanding, and the more doctors and patients who harness these new technologies, the more care can be improved.
Health technology is where funding should be focused – whether it is for systems to reduce administrative burdens; databases to increase understanding of medical trends; technology to reduce direct contact and, as a result, infection; or technology to provide around the clock care. These innovations can improve care and hopefully save lives, not to mention the economic benefi ts of increasing effi ciency.
The government is supporting the role of medical technology in improving care, but more can still be done. Instead of spending money, time and effort on temporary fi xes, focus should be shifted to developing innovative technologies. These could really shake-up healthcare as we know it – and in the best possible way.
www.oxehealth.com
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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