The healthcare industry is faced with challenges on a daily basis. And not just in reference to the incredibly challenging work of the incredible doctors and nurses. Simply ensuring a quality patient experience is one such challenge that the industry is frequently battling.
From ensuring patients are dealt with in a timely manner to handling data and communications, the patient experience is at the forefront of the service provided by healthcare institutions, businesses and organisations. From the top of the tree in major hospitals to pharmacies to the backend processes such as the administration of large amounts of patient data.
In this article we will explore how the healthcare industry, in its entirety, could benefit from leveraging modern technologies. Helping to streamline a patient’s experience and provide a positive experience for the majority of patients who pass through their services on a daily basis.
Common Challenges Faced By The Healthcare Industry
Some of the most commonly faced challenges within the healthcare industry is the management of patient data and patient communications. With the priority on delivering exceptional healthcare, often the backend administration can get lost. Resulting in poor communication between patient and caregiver. While parts of the industry have embraced digital communications between healthcare professionals and patients, others are stuck in what feels like a different century.
Issues of this kind subsequently can lead to delays in treatment, confusion for patients and a lack of efficiency in the overall healthcare system.
One major challenge is the use and management of electronic health records (EHRs). While these systems were intended to streamline data sharing and improve patient care, many healthcare organisations struggle with implementing and maintaining them. The interoperability of different EHR systems is also a common issue, making it difficult for healthcare providers to access and share vital patient information across platforms.
Another challenge is communication between patients and their healthcare providers. With advancements in technology, patients now have higher expectations for convenient and timely communication with their doctors or caregivers. However, many healthcare organisations still rely on outdated methods such as phone calls or paper mail, leading to frustration for both parties.
How Bespoke Software Solutions Could Support The Patient Experience
While a large majority of the healthcare industry rely on generic software systems, often due to funding, to manage processes, these can cause issues when specific patient and user requirements can no longer be addressed. While great for the general handling of data, specific communications with patients and the handling of unique patient cases may be poorly handled by generic systems or simply not at all.
Bespoke systems, software that has been designed with the specific requirements in mind, can help to address these challenges. Providing tailored solutions to issues that cause issues for patients and professionals.
For example, bespoke systems, similar to that of a CRM, would be capable of storing patient data into one profile, helping to communicate data across different areas of the organisation for faster, more efficient data sharing and patient care.
The benefits of bespoke healthcare software systems:
- Improve patient satisfaction
- Streamline administrative processes
- Enhance communication between patient and care professionals, removing the need for outdated methods of communication that regularly slow down processes.
- Build patient loyalty, the greater an organisation handles patient communication and data, the more likely a patient will be to return for further treatments and care.
- Improve security systems can be enhanced with their own security features to ensure the protection of sensitive patient data and to adhere with legal governance.
- Integrate with other software tools to allow for a simpler workflow
- Provide greater flexibility within the organisation
- Provide healthcare professionals with greater visibility of essential care information and patient data
