TECHNOLOGY IN CARE Going Mobile
Mobile devices have made it easier than ever to find information and stay in touch with others while we’re on the road. Colin Reid, CEO of TotalMobile believes they could do the same for the care sector – as long as ‘airlift’ deployment is avoided at all costs.
Mobile technology is revolutionising healthcare where physicians, frontline carers and patients are prolific mobile adopters – and if deployed correctly from the beginning, it has the power to make processes in the health industry much easier, more immediate and more productive.
There has been much debate about the healthcare service and how access to affordable healthcare can be guaranteed for the future. But there is mobile technology out there than can help combat some of these issues – and there are many ways we can increase access to affordable and quality patient care with technology.
Healthcare providers should be making use of new mobile technologies to enable a higher quality of care in every patient interaction. Technologies that enable healthcare workers to access patient records and update them on the road equal less time in the office completing admin and more time with patients. Mobile technology can save up to two hours per day, per clinician, by eliminating paperwork, travel time and streamlining workflow and data capture.
Bristol Community Health has already seen some very positive results from a carefully planned deployment. A 60% reduction in staff time spent updating patient records, for example, and a dramatic improvement in the quality of patient records. The organisation’s pocket size tablets are easy-to-use and use repopulate forms to reduce duplicate entry and update in real time.
To get this kind of success you must take the right approach. It just isn’t
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as simple as applying an ‘airlift’ strategy. A ‘drop and go’ concept where decision makers give frontline care workers a mobile device and watch as productivity and service user satisfaction metrics rocket is nothing but a pipe dream.
“A ‘drop and go’ concept where decision makers give frontline workers a mobile device and watch as service user satisfaction metrics rocket is nothing but a pipe dream.”
It is obvious when speaking to many frontline healthcare workers that when it comes to mobile in the health and social care world the concept of integrating mobile technology into current workflows just isn’t working out – and that is a major problem.
One wonders why the healthcare sector can’t follow the lead of the wider business world, which has rapidly adopted the mobile concept and turned it into a mainstream enterprise tool that is driving productivity, innovation and bottom-line results. They see and understand the benefits that 24/7 connectivity can bring.
Simply providing healthcare workers with mobile devices without any consultation on how they work and how technology can improve their overall performance and job satisfaction won’t fly. The result will be wastage of precious budget and of a golden opportunity. Device and app selection should be based on the needs of the frontline worker, looking at what they
need to undertake their entire role and providing this via a solution that is intuitive and easy-to-use.
Simply analysing back office procedures that you know work and attempting to ‘mobilise’ them does not work. It is like trying to put a round peg in a square hole. You have got to have a clearly defined, designed and developed strategy from the outset and identify the appropriate devices and apps required.
Collaboration with staff who will actually be using the devices and apps at the beginning is critical, as staff satisfaction with the solution will be the ultimate measure of the success of mobile technology in your healthcare organisation. Spend time finding out what they require and give them the mobile tools to do their job. Dictating technology will not work.
Planning is crucial The planning stage is where many health organisations go wrong. Listen to the frontline workers who will be using the technology. I can’t stress this enough. Make sure the technology you adopt is intuitive that way they will use it. Don’t underestimate the immense potential of giving the appropriate mobile solutions to professionals and field staff. It is then that you will see productivity and motivation rise, and patients will see improved one-to-one time in their care.
Best practice for successfully integrating mobile technology into the current workflow must include the ability to share information across cross-functional teams and multi- platforms. First, look at your frontline staff, talk with them and find out
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