2 May 2021
Healthcare is a people business. The relationship between doctor and patient is an important one and having the opportunity to sit down for a face to face consultation is an important part of the service that Medmin clinicians offer to their patients.
One of the things that we all value most in our healthcare professionals is empathy. As digitisation is implemented are we in danger of losing that? Is healthcare becoming dehumanised?
The Global pandemic has accelerated the take-up of digital healthcare. The rate of adoption of Telehealth for example with consultations over screen rather than in person, has taken everyone by surprise. Some estimates have suggested we have seen ten years growth in a single year – but at what cost?
The surprising conclusion of some is that technology has reinforced rather than reduced a human-centric approach. In some cases virtual connections have intensified the human aspect of healthcare, primary care has probably changed forever. An appointment that may have taken 2 hours, with travel, wait-times, and an appointment of 10-20 minutes can now be undertaken remotely at a specific time and typically takes around 12 -15 minutes.
Despite appointments being short, patients are reporting that telemedicine helps increase their involvement in treatment decisions and makes them more likely to contact the doctor if it means they don’t have to schedule time off work or make a journey to the surgery.
No-shows too have been reduced, in one study only one Telehealth appointment out of 825 was cancelled in a ten week period. Not only is technology helping provide patients with equal or better treatments, but it’s increasing the number of patients who attend visits and saving patients’ and clinicians’ time.
Another aspect that has increased during the pandemic has been patient groups and networks. Patients with specific conditions have often been able to find advice, support and comfort in Social media groups or other online communities.
A Facebook survey of 15,000 people in 15 countries found that 91% of respondents had given some form of support to others through a group or community during the pandemic. 86% have said they received some form of support from others. But technology allows for more than just patient-to-patient emotional support. Through different platforms and groups, patients can share and learn more about others’ experiences, conditions and treatments even if they are miles apart. For patients with rare diseases, connecting with someone who is battling the same condition can be invaluable.
Finally as the pandemic struck, it was the lack of information that was most worrying for both public health officials and clinicians on the front line. Technology quickly met the challenge that was being faced.
The Zoe Covid Study led by Tim Spector OBE, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London has shaped health policy and tracked disease hotspots for more than a year. In April, researchers discovered that loss of smell and taste (anosmia) was a key predictive symptom for the virus. This finding led the government to add anosmia to the official list of COVID-19 symptoms in May 2020.
With 4 million users it is now the world’s largest ongoing study into the virus. The ease of an app and an engaged community of responders meant that everyone could contribute to the efforts being made to gather vital data. The project’s extraordinary success, not just in gathering information but fostering a huge community of engaged participants will, I am sure, pave the way for other mass studies in the future.
The pandemic has meant that our reliance on technology has hugely increased but, in many cases this has meant a more efficient, inclusive and human-centric approach. Far from technology providing barriers, it has proved to be an invaluable part of healthcare provision. A people to people approach is still a vital element of care but we can now all see ways that technology can enhance that experience in a very humanistic way.