DATA SECURITY


Dr Johannsson, who was involved in reviewing the NHS guidance, said: “Fully encrypted instant messaging services can be a particularly useful communication tool in delivering care to people during a major incident.


“From the Westminster attack we learnt it was important not to overload the emergency care co-ordinators with offers of help, so with Grenfell we used instant messaging to help coordinate which staff should come in, and who was needed where, and plan the service for later on that day, which vastly improved the care we were able to provide.


“These sensible guidelines will make the care of our patients safer through better communication by NHS staff.”


Easy-to-swallow solutions Doctors need the freedom to stay in touch with colleagues, whether they are in hospitals for consultation, or simply on the move. With a reliable face-to-face communication platform, through which meetings can be easily set up and rescheduled to accommodate clients, physicians can swiftly share patient information with the knowledge that transmission is secure. Collaboration systems are revolutionising how organisations seamlessly connect people through secure video conferencing, messaging, and mobile apps – ideally supported by secure cloud architecture. These cost- effective products work from anywhere, on any device, to cater for a dispersed workforce. By improving the way in which medical staff operate, compliant mobile messaging tools play a vital role in enabling colleagues to intuitively share messaging, or call via video chat, to speed up decision-making and collaborate more easily.


The virtual clinic


Collaboration solutions are not only improving communication between medical staff, but they also have the capability to improve the provision of care to patients in the community. Traditional medical care models no longer cater adequately for patient needs today due to insufficient on-site facilities, a chronic lack of IT resources, and the proverbial predicaments of unreliable public transport. Consequently, high rates of non-attendance at appointments result in rising costs on emergency services, and potentially poor patient health outcomes. Clinicians are concerned for the welfare


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of those people who serially miss appointments because their health may continue to deteriorate and, consequently, they are potentially putting themselves at greater risk by non-attendance. In addition, estimates indicate that the cost of missed UK general practice appointments (GP community-based family medicine) can total over £150 million per year.


Research has shown that conducting ‘virtual’ consultations enables medical staff to seamlessly conduct a diagnosis without the need for patients to actually be in the presence of the doctor. At the heart of a virtual clinic are secure video conferencing, instant messaging, and smart meeting room systems that simplify communications complexity for a life- changing experience.


Benefits of using intuitive technology include limiting the patient’s travel to a hospital, resulting in improved patient satisfaction, reduced stress levels, and maximised clinician time. Providing patient-centred video healthcare to communities offers enormous scope for national health services around the world to eliminate unnecessary repeat consultations, difficulties in logistic on-site attendance, delays in diagnosis, and prescription orders.


For example, offering a patient with mobility issues the option to receive a virtual consultation at their local GP rather than travelling many miles to a distant specialist is now possible with


Collaboration systems are revolutionising how organisations seamlessly connect people through secure video conferencing, messaging, and mobile apps – ideally supported by secure cloud architecture


158 Health Estate Journal October 2019


quality video conferencing, video calling, and instant messaging, all operated securely by cloud-based solutions that are easy to use.


On-site meeting room systems set up in clinics, hospitals, and surgeries, can also be installed for quality room video conferencing, along with various audio and control options that seamlessly connect to other multiple Trusts running a variety of different technologies – a compelling combination of flexibility, reliability, and security.


With integrated easy-to-use systems, doctors and physicians are better enabled to serve more patients in one day of clinical practice and improve levels of consultation satisfaction. A good example is antenatal care, where conducting virtual appointments could save heavily pregnant women from making long, tiring, and unnecessary trips to the hospital.


A clean bill of health


Doctors have an ethical, legal, and contractual duty to protect patient confidentiality and provide the very best care possible. The need for a secure means of communication is clear; one single breach of patient confidentiality could result in numerous patient complaints, or even a disciplinary action from governing authorities, whether that is the result of doctors using a free messaging app to communicate, or an unreliable video communication solution used in a virtual clinic.


The prognosis suggests the remedy is less WhatsApp and more of what’s essential in healthcare – safety, reliability, and robust communications. As the medical profession looks for cost- effective solutions, now is the time to keep its finger on the pulse of innovation and safeguard patient care.


hej


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