More than 90% of the UK population use a mobile and over 60% use a smart phone according to Ofcom. Using digital communications means you can easily check the health status of patients for smoking and automate responses back into the patient’s record.

You can give your patients greater access and choice allowing them to get the information relevant to them while commuting, doing the shopping – just as they would access bank details.

Busy lifestyles

And with more of the population spending ever increasing amounts of time online using their smart phones and mobile tablet devices, digital delivery offers greater convenience, allowing patients to fit more into their busy lives, with access from different locations 24/7.

Digital is just for young people, isn’t it?

Tablets are now being used by three times as many over 65s as they were in 2013.

Imagine being able to reach all of your patients, young and old, to invite for clinics such as ‘flu campaigns; being able to re-use appointments via automatic appointment cancellations; give detailed information for chronic diseases e.g. Diabetes, or directing patients to online services, like NHS Choices, when automated surgery closure messages have been sent?

Sending health campaign messages digitally

Using SMS you can send health campaign messages, annual reviews or reminders to patients registered at your practice with mobile phones or through automated voice calls  patients without mobiles to attend clinics for flu or shingles. Email messaging allows you to deliver messages to patients email inboxes giving them specific advice on what they need such as what they can do to stay warm in winter or cool in hot weather, and can provide detailed medication advice and information of where to find out more about their chronic disease(s).

Up to date patient health information

By encouraging your patients to respond to simple health questions (sent to patients using SMS, voice or email messaging) you can quickly and cost effectively update your patient health records. For example, you can recommend where to seek health advice. So, if a patient texts or emails the word ‘smoke’, it is possible to deliver an automatic response message containing details of where to find smoking cessation advice, and will automatically read code that the message has been sent into the patient’s record.

Written by Mary Wolfe
[email protected]
Tel: 01353 741641 (Option 1)
http://practiceindex.co.uk/gp/mjog