Hospital wide
Ikazia Hospital
Ikazia Hospital has started using Patient Journey App in the Orthopaedics department. They received the SET COVID-19 subsidy, which has given a kickstart to the further implementation of the app within the hospital.
The goal was to launch 13 additional journeys, and that goal has been achieved! There are now 15 journeys live. Read below about the experiences of Eveline Oosterveld-Rutgers (Patient Communication and Participation Advisor) and Romy Seton (Healthcare Policy Officer) with the large-scale implementation of the app.
Ikazia Hospital
Romy: "Joëlle from the day treatment department approached me about a great app she had seen at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. We then invited them over, and pitched the idea to the doctors, nurses, and management. Everyone was immediately enthusiastic. We really noticed that getting people on board as early ambassadors and showing them the possibilities made everyone eager to collaborate on the app."
Romy: "The main reason was that people often forgot that they needed to fast before the surgery, which was a real bottleneck in day treatment. Patients often don’t fully understand what fasting entails. The app helps patients prepare for what’s to come, including the specifics of fasting before coming to the hospital."
Now that the app has been live for a while, do you feel that it really helps with adhering to the fasting protocol?
Romy: "We don't have numbers, but we do notice that people find the app very useful and diligently review the information. They also appreciate being able to refer back to the app. Family members also download the app so they can follow along with the patient and receive important information as well."
“The app helps patients prepare for what’s ahead, including understanding what it means to come to the hospital fasting.”
The implementation process
Romy: “Everyone is very enthusiastic and eager to get started. However, because someone also needs to critically review and provide the content, we do experience delays there.”
Eveline: “Orthopaedics and Cardiology are already up and running and are going really well. The experiences there are positive, so they are true ambassadors within the organization.”
How did you make the app known within the hospital, or does it happen on its own?
Eveline: “It doesn’t happen on its own. We regularly have meetings with the departments. It started with orthopaedics and then spread like wildfire. When you look at where we started and where we are now, it’s really taking off. More and more colleagues are becoming familiar with the app, and since we’re becoming more digital due to COVID-19, more people are open to it.”
Do you have any feedback on the implementation process?
Romy: “The process is going really well. We simply send all feedback over, and you always manage to turn it into something great. Then we forward it to the experts. You are very quick, sometimes a bit too quick. But everyone is very enthusiastic.”
Benefits for Ikazia
Romy: “Recently, we’ve added functionality to track certain things. For example, some specialties want to monitor patients with obesity, while cardiologists want to keep track of whether patients are drinking too much or too little. The app can then indicate whether the patient is on track, and the data can be discussed later in the consultation. Additionally, the patient can use the app to ask more targeted questions during the conversation. We aim to integrate these functionalities into the app in the short term so that it becomes an integral part of the dialogue between the patient and the healthcare provider.”
Ikazia also plans to use the app as a kind of decision support tool when treatment choices are available.
Romy: “For instance, the patient could learn about the various methods of pain relief, including their advantages and disadvantages, so they can make an informed choice later on. They can then ask questions in the consultation such as: ‘I’ve seen the information; is this option available to me, or why not?’ For gallbladder procedures, we are currently detailing the pros and cons of surgery versus not operating and the different surgical methods. We intend to do the same for hernia repairs, with the goal of providing patients with more information and decision-making opportunities.”
“The patient can use the app to ask more targeted questions during the consultation.”
What kind of feedback do you receive from patients about the app?
Romy: “Patients indicate that the information is clear and straightforward, and they also appreciate the notifications. They have no additional suggestions or improvements. In the coming period, we will be conducting interviews with various specialisms to ask patients what they think of the app and its use.”
What improvements would you like to make to the app in the future?
Eveline: “Right now, the app is primarily used for sending out information, but it would be great if it could also allow interactive communication in the other direction. This way, patients could ask questions themselves. We want it to become more of a two-way communication channel.”
Response from PJA: This is already possible within Patient Journey App. Patient input is received as signals in the system, and the care provider can then respond. Patients receive a push notification with the answer, and the response is also displayed on the timeline. We also have a chat-function.
Romy: “We’re working with the surgery department to prepare certain patients for prehabilitation before their surgery. We want them to be moving enough and eating well before the procedure.”
Response from PJA: Patients can be guided through prehabilitation via the app, and PROMs questionnaires can already be completed through the app.
Eveline: “Orthopaedics and surgery also want patients to fill out questionnaires in advance so that the consultations in the examination room can be smoother and more focused.”
Response from PJA: In addition to PROMs and PREMs, any type of questionnaire can be administered via the app.
Future
Ikazia Hospital has ambitious plans to rapidly expand the number of patient journeys using the received funding. Additionally, they aim to utilise more functionalities of the app to further digitise the care process.
More information?
We would be happy to get in touch with you.