HOSPITALS
Serving those in need
How Hospitals are improving communications in order to give a better service
We are at our most vulnerable when we have problems with our health. Every guy struck down with man flu will tell you the unimaginable pain will make you feel smaller than a thimble. Of course, if things get even worse, the hospitals are there to soothe our ailments. Whether in A&E after you cycle into a parked car, which is not funny in the slightest, or booking an operation to treat a longer term pain. But when our health has such an effect on how we feel within ourselves, the health institutions we turn to can make us feel much better with a good service, accompanied by effective treatment. Just like businesses up and down the country, the key to providing a good service lies in data, as Rajasekar Sukumar, SVP and Head of Europe at Persistent Systems says, “When it comes to digital adoption across the healthcare sector, a key goal is to remove silos. One of the main issues for healthcare organisations is that different departments operate on entirely different platforms or systems. “One area where technology innovation has accelerated is in telemedicine to aid or complement point of care delivery and patient communication, for example, apps for registering test results and video clinics with specialists. However, with a surge in ageing population across the UK and Europe there
is potential resistance to technology-driven approaches which must be considered in rollout and adoption plans.” “Data needs to be readily shared and flow between multiple partners for a complete and holistic view of a patient’s care. There is a huge opportunity for technology leaders to support healthcare companies in building such platforms.” Embracing new technology It’s no secret that processing data has led to a lot of efficiencies within the business world, and, in the UK, NHS nurses say that embracing these sorts of technologies could revolutionise patient care. An analysis commissioned by Vodafone UK, found that the NHS could take £1 billion off the country’s health and social care budget of around £180 billion; enough to pay for 15,400 more full-time nurses. These advancements are likely to be welcomed by healthcare professionals and medical specialists, including nurses and pharmacists. A separate study of NHS nurses found that 40 percent of them believe the biggest barrier to transforming the health service is a lack of investment in new technology. With this new technology, Dr Iain McCowan, Director of AI at Dubber, said that poor experiences can be avoided, adding: “Currently, switchboard operators often route calls to the wrong department due to overload or limited context about a patient issue. This can lead to frustrated patients, often resulting in verbal abuse of staff. Hospitals know this is a problem, but they do not have the data to inform a solution.” “The insights from aggregated cross- departmental conversation intelligence can highlight which departments are receiving complaints outside their domain, providing administrators with the data they require to inform policies and training to improve operators’ ability to route calls correctly. This can improve both patient and staff experiences.”
Rajasekar Sukumar SVP and Head of Europe
persistent.com
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