Electronic appointments instead of long lines; Doctors on screen 24/7; Always wear “seeing” bracelets or glasses and be alert for any condition that goes outside the normal range; Some technological advances for the benefit of patients.
When a person goes to a consultation, they leave the medical facility with a treatment, but often this does not mean they are satisfied. There are times when the experience does not meet the patient’s expectations, which can result in treatment abandonment or missed follow-up appointments. (1)
Among the main complaints were long waiting times, feeling disinterested by the treating specialist or urgent treatment due to high demand, not properly explaining their condition, diagnostic errors, difficulty getting an appointment, problems accessing advice and not following up outside the office. (2)
Thanks to technology, doctors now have tools to help their patients provide a better experience by speeding up certain processes and solving communication problems between the two.
Networked administrative systems have been developed for those who find it difficult to make appointments. These are digital agendas where consultation dates and documents can be managed, thereby creating an electronic medical record. (3)
With this technology, the treating doctor or doctors have access to information from any medical specialty in real-time, which helps them take decisions and treatments into consideration.
Another technology that helps the patient and has evolved as a result of the pandemic is telemedicine.
This innovation enables them to connect with a doctor wherever they are, through a video call from their mobile device, so that they can see their doctor face-to-face without being in the same room. (4)
The advantage of video counseling is that family members can attend counseling without leaving work or even if they are not in the same city or country as their relatives.
Telemedicine enables people far from a medical center to access specialists, avoids long transfers, and supports people with motor impairments or reduced mobility so they don’t have to leave their homes to receive care.
In addition, telemedicine is aided by technological devices that are another innovation in patient care.
Wearable digital devices have been developed to measure your heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs at all times. This allows the doctor to monitor the person in real-time and receive alerts when the reading is outside the normal range.
These devices are called wearables and the most common are of the bracelet type, although there are also smart glasses for the visually impaired, sensors attached to the body mainly for blood glucose measurements, and smart clothing to monitor their condition in general. . (5)
Undoubtedly, innovations in medicine make the experience more comfortable, but they are only a tool. The task of creating a good doctor-patient relationship falls on the healthcare professional. The human quality, the ability to listen and empathize with emotions is always the key to good care.
Notes
- The doctor-patient relationship is critical to the patient’s medical care. construction. reality. Available in: https://www.unir.net/salud/revista/relacion-medico-paciente/#:~:text=La%20relaci%C3%B3n%20m%C3%A9dico%2Dpaciente%20es%20fundamental%20a%20la% 20hora%20de,y%20tratar%20a%20los%20pacientes.
- The most common cause of complaints among patients. AsismedL. reality. Available in: https://www.asistenciamedicolegal.com/single-post/causa-m%C3%A1s-com%C3%BAn-de-quejas-entre-los-pacientes
- How to improve patient care through ICT Igaleno cloud. reality. Available in: https://www.igaleno.com/blog/atencion-paciente-nuevas-tecnologias/
- Advantages of telemedicine. SEMESUR.online. Available in: https://semesur.com/es/blog/ventajas-de-la-telemedicina
- Wearables or devices that allow health monitoring. HLA Blog. reality. Available in: https://www.blogdehla.es/wearables-o-dispositivos-que-permiten-monitorizar-la-salud/#:~:text=Los%20wearables%20son%20dispositivos%20intelligentes,%2C%20ritmo%20card%C3 %ADaco%2C%20etc.
