{"id":17232,"date":"2023-03-08T21:38:40","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T21:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orionhealth.com\/?p=17232"},"modified":"2023-10-29T19:52:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T19:52:18","slug":"reducing-the-workload-on-care-teams-by-digitising-patient-interactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orionhealth.com\/uk\/blog\/reducing-the-workload-on-care-teams-by-digitising-patient-interactions\/","title":{"rendered":"Reducing the workload on care teams by digitising patient interactions"},"content":{"rendered":"
Around the world, the health sector is in a state of emergency. Front line and support staff are being asked to do more with less, shouldering unsustainable workloads which is leading to increased levels of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the world\u2019s population grows, demands on health systems are ever increasing \u2013 but resources aren\u2019t keeping pace. When combined with technology that\u2019s not fit for purpose, it\u2019s clear to see why the threat of burnout is ever-present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The need to reduce the workload of care teams is more crucial than ever. The potential of making people\u2019s healthcare interactions digital presents one way to free up capacity so these teams can spend more of their precious time focusing on treating patients who need their help most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stress in the health sector is not a new phenomenon, but once-in-a-generation events like the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the issue clearly into the public spotlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As has been witnessed across many sectors, there are warning signs of a potential \u2018great resignation\u2019 in the health sector. In the US, a recent report<\/a> found that 47% of physicians surveyed were feeling symptoms of burnout. Another report<\/a> found that one in five physicians and two in five nurses intend to leave their practice altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issues of recruiting and retaining healthcare workers are being felt across the globe. In order to achieve the Quintuple Aim<\/a> of improved patient experience, provider experience, health outcomes, reduced cost of healthcare and enhanced equity, there\u2019s a clear need to find efficiencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The increasing demands being placed on healthcare workers and support staff are apparent in many areas, such as admitting patients to hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently, many teams who schedule admissions are tasked with collecting information from patients using paper-based systems. This information is generally provided in a range of different formats, and sometimes late or with illegible or missing information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result is booking teams having to spend time following up and deciphering information, before manually entering it into an online system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are ramifications for clinical staff if this information isn\u2019t available: an anaesthetist, for example, needs critical information about a patient\u2019s allergies and medical history in order to do their job safely and effectively. Without it, that patient may not receive the care they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Automating standard processes for hospital admissions can go some way to lessening the burden on healthcare workers, helping get the right information to the right people at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Southern Cross Healthcare<\/a> continuously invests in modern healthcare technology \u2013 including working with Orion Health to co-design a solution to streamline the pre-admission experience for patients. Utilising Orion Health\u2019s Virtuoso Digital Front Door technology, this eAdmissions solution was piloted at Auckland Surgical Centre in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pilot helped improve workflow efficiency for Southern Cross Healthcare staff. Through having access to more accurate, complete data, staff were able to reduce processing time per patient by 83%, and reducing the need to follow up with patients on incomplete data by 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can read more about Southern Cross Healthcare and Orion Health\u2019s partnership and the Digital Front Door in the Southern Cross Healthcare eAdmissions pilot case study<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nHospital admissions \u2013 an example:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Orion Health and Southern Cross Healthcare \u2013 working together<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n