Introduction
The digital age is immersing everyone in one thing: data. In the last 5 years, 90% of the world’s data was produced. Thinking about the astronomical implication of that is a bit much. Not surprising at all, health care data is becoming an ever-growing chunk.
One way this is readily used is by giving patients the power to input their data. No longer do you need to go to your GP to be told you have cold-like symptoms or a fever. Now you can record these and send them to your GP, then schedule a video conference or virtual clinic to follow-up, thanks to a Cambridge produced application called Patients Know Best (PKB). The patient portal boasts numerous NHS contracts around the country, helping to engage patients in their own health and get them responsible for it, while keeping their doctors up-to-date. Personal measurements (weight, height, BP, or glucose, etc.) can be input and sent directly for interpretation by physicians.
Not only does this help the patients, but the doctors are also benefiting. Acquiring real-time information and an ability to instantly communicate with their patients to ensure treatment is being correctly completed means less risk of recurrent issues.
PKB’s most recent win was a national framework for NHS Wales.The framework will be over a two year contract, contingent on KPIs related to patient engagement. This is the first national framework and PBK is hopeful that this will encourage larger contracts due to current contracts being focused regionally or locally.
As healthcare continues to make its way digital, the doctor-patient relationship seeks to be improved and becomes more engaging for patients, and in this way, improving patients’ therapeutic efficacy and compliance to treatments, lowering national costs. Let’s hope this trend continues!
Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash
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