Healthcare catching up fast with the digital world
This kind of digital transformation in medicine has never happened at such speed... and it would be better if it hadn’t taken a once-in-ageneration shock to drive it.
THERE ARE so many things to comprehend as we face down this crisis. It is incredible to think that our urgent care system has been transformed over the course of just a few days; 18 months of digital progress has happened in four days.
This kind of digital transformation in medicine has never happened at such speed. The pace of change can feel overwhelming and it would be better if it hadn’t taken a once-in-a-generation shock to drive it.
Healthcare has previously lagged behind things like shopping and banking, but this week-long diary explains how my practice is catching up.
Thursday: My day starts at 7.45. I’m triage lead, which means I’m responsible for supervising our team of GPs and other healthcare workers, who phone up our patients with urgent problems.
In the afternoon, I speak to our GP partners in Hull, to discuss rolling out our online consultation system. The system gives patients a way to submit their queries and concerns to the practice via our website at any time, day or night. Usually we’d need face-to-face training with the team, and consultation with patients, but we now avoid meeting in person to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Friday: Another early start, with an 8am call with some of the team. Today, we take a moment to check each other’s wellbeing. The pandemic is putting strain on the physical and mental health of both patients and clinicians, and having an opportunity to open up about stresses and concerns is much needed. Then it’s working as part of the urgent care team – contacting patients who need urgent help.
At 10am, I join the strategy meeting to discuss issues like availability of personal protective equipment and bank holiday opening. We will be open on Good Friday and Easter Monday to take some of the pressure off the hospitals.
In the afternoon, I call a patient who was recently told they have cancer. I want to check in and see how they were, given the diagnosis and the circumstances. They are stoic, and keen to start chemotherapy. The hospitals are trying to reduce face-to-face consultations, and despite how strange it must be to have an oncology appointment via telephone, they were grateful they were able to receive treatment.
I work into the evening, preparing for tomorrow’s meeting.
Saturday: As the weekend begins, the sun is shining, and the first signs of spring weather are appearing. At 10am, I leave my two-year-old daughter with her mum to enjoy the sunshine, and I join our quarterly partnership meeting, which is a teleconference instead of the usual inperson meeting.
A total of 21 partners come together using software most of them have never tried. It’s lovely to see everyone’s faces, but it feels like a lifetime since our last meeting in January.
Sunday: Today, there was time for relaxing with my family. This has become even more important now as I think about the people suffering with Covid-19 who might never have this chance with their families again. Playing with my little girl has never felt so vital.
In the evening, I work on writing processes and reviewing local and national guidance for health and care workers that came out over the weekend.
Monday: After the 8am Covid-19 teleconference, I dictate new recorded answering messages for our surgeries’ phone system. We are trying to encourage patients to use our online services, and today’s focus is the NHS app.
We discuss how to promote its features, particularly ordering repeat prescriptions without having to collect from the surgery or drop in a paper request. This is all about reducing the risk of transmitting the virus among patients or staff, but it’s also more convenient for patients and more efficient for the practice.
Tuesday: The reality of the revolution in general practice hits home again when I speak to a patient with a rash on our urgent list. Previously they would have worried overnight, waited on the phone to book an urgent review, and disrupted their day to come to the surgery.
Instead, they submitted their query overnight via our website, and I reviewed and reassured them about their rash via a video consult without any extra software required on their phone. The times, they are a-changing.
Wednesday: I squeeze in an 8am leadership call, but today is “daddy/ daughter” day, where I look after my daughter during my day off. Time with her helps me focus on what is truly important. I know how fortunate I am that I have the freedom to do this.
Once the lockdown is lifted and the threat of the virus is over, I hope we will be a kinder society, and recognise how precious human contact is. One thing is for certain, technology in healthcare and general practice will never be the same again – and neither will anything else.