Patients of the Bush Doctors and Richford Gate Medical Practice in Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust will soon receive automated voice messages requesting information to update their medical record. The trial in two local GP practices, enabled by iPLATO, aims to improve the accuracy of core patient data held by GPs. The hope is that patients will like the new system and that it will save doctors time and money. If the trial is a success the PCT plans to roll out the system to 25 other practices using the iPLATO system.
The free service will send an automated voice message to a patients landline telephone asking them to confirm if they smoke or not. The automated messaging service clearly states that the call comes from the patients own GP surgery and will also specify who the call is for in case the phone is shared between people within the household. Patients are asked during the call to respond to the question via keystroke on their telephone keypad.
Dr. Susan McGoldrick GP at the Bush Doctors said, "We think our population is ready for this automated voice service, as it is a natural extension of the texting service we already offer to people who have their mobile telephone number recorded on the system here at the surgery. In this project we seek to streamline tedious but necessary tasks, such as continuously updating patient records, to free up staff to work with our patients. We know that this method will be more efficient than most other data collection methods, so what we are really looking at is establishing patient acceptance and satisfaction."
Tom Stevenson, spokesperson for the PCT, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to improve communication with our patients through innovative technology. Doctors need to collect information on all their patients' smoking status every 15 months; but there are plenty of people who won't see their GP that often. This new system makes it quick and convenient for both doctors and patients, and will hopefully increase the number of people we can offer stop smoking support to."
This trial is an extension to a series of text messaging services with a similar aim conducted by Hammersmith and Fulham GP surgeries, Hammersmith and Fulham PCT and iPLATO over the last year.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.iplato.net
Related news articles:
- iPLATO's Profile
About Hammersmith and Fulham PCT
Hammersmith and Fulham PCT is the NHS organisation responsible for planning and commissioning all NHS services on behalf of the 171,500 residents of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. There are 30 GP practices across the borough.
About iPLATO
iPLATO is an independent innovation company founded in London in the autumn of 1999. In 2003, iPLATO was awarded a SMART Feasibility Grant by the Department of Trade & Industry to study the feasibility for national implementation of a system to remind outpatients about scheduled appointments using text messaging technology. Since completing the study, the company has invested substantial resources towards overcoming the barriers to entry of the healthcare market and now provides successful healthcare solutions to NHS organisations throughout the United Kingdom - building a promising business around its flagship service 'Patient Care Messaging'.
iPLATO began 2008 with extensive roll outs of iPLATO Patient Care Messaging to GP surgeries across 10 Primary Care Trusts in England. Recognised by the European Commission as one of the top ten early stage technology ventures ready to reshape their industry and to conquer the global market iPLATO has also featured on the Red Herring Europe Top 200.