This document discusses how communication technologies can be used to enhance patient care and experiences. It describes how telehealth and telecare services allow patients to receive health monitoring and support at home to reduce appointments and burden on healthcare systems. These virtual services are shown to improve health outcomes while lowering costs. The document advocates for expanding access and use of these remote technologies.

1. Discover how to deliver an enhanced
patient experience by using communication
based technologies to give care at a
distance. Download:
The Modern Patient Experience:
Where Care Matters.
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Takeaways:
Changes to working
practices and
technology use can
increase access to
healthcare, reduce
appointments, increase
capacity and improve
care while reducing
GPs’ workload.
Most patients are
confident they can
manage their health
and want to have
some control.
If patients take more
responsibility for their
healthcare, they will
enjoy better wellbeing
and depend less on
services, saving the
NHS money.
Demands on GPs
are increasing as the
patient population
is ageing and more
people develop long-
term conditions.
The use of unified
communications within
a GP surgery can be
utilised to fulfill more
appointments and
follow-ups when done
virtually, without the
need for physical face-
to-face interaction.
HOW TO DELIVER ENHANCED
PATIENT CARE AT A DISTANCE
Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven (AWC)
CCG’s evaluation found telehealth:
Not just for the patients
Telehealth allows patients to be monitored and to monitor
themselves at home instead of at a clinic.
They can:
The government is offering its expertise on telehealth internationally.
It cites the findings of the Whole System Demonstrator trial, which
concluded that telehealth can reduce:
Mortality
rates
A&E
visits
Emergency
admissions
Elective
admissions
Bed-days Tariff
costs
45%
15%
20%
14% 14%
8%
Telecare
Technology to help
patients stay living
independently at
home for longer.
Can remind patients
of things they need
to do, such as
take medication.
Can automatically
alert staff at a
response centre or a
carer if patients
need help.
Isn’t intended to
replace people, but it
can be a helpful part
of a package of care
and support which
fits into everyday life.
Telehealth
Designed to help people
living with long-term health
conditions at home.
Allows patients to monitor
their health without having to
keep visiting a GP.
Patients are shown how to
do the health readings and
send them automatically to a
health professional who checks
results and keeps an eye on
health needs.
View their EHR
Consult with practitioners from home by:
Telephone Videoconferencing WebEmail
Telehealth is particularly useful in
large, sparsely populated areas as
well as in cities.
The government wants 25% of people with
long-term conditions to be monitored remotely
by 2020 but...
Telehealth can help improve patient
concordance. For example in adhering to
long-term exercise programmes as part
of pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, which many
patients find difficult.
...only 14% of over-65s in the UK have access
to telecare services.
14%
“The NHS has the opportunity to
become a world leader in introducing
new technology – which means better
patient outcomes and a revolution in
healthcare at home.”
Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt
108 out of 176 CCGs in the UK were commissioning telehealth
services in 2013/14; a total spend of
Cut A&E attendance by 14%
and costs by 38%
14%
38%
Reduced hospital admissions among care home residents by more than 45%
after telecare was provided by a hospital over a secure video link.
£15.2mIN THAT
YEAR.
Caring for patients in their homes is a key component of integration across services.
How do we employ solutions that enable collaboration among providers regardless
of location? A proactive approach to care can significantly improve service
performance and patient satisfaction.
And it found that telecare:
Professionals can also use telehealth, for
example to access specialist support, which
can reduce specialist referrals.
Telehealth can be adapted for other uses,
such as video conferencing to train staff
across different sites.
The Modern Patient Experience
Where Care Matters
Communication-based technologies can enable healthcare providers to achieve
better patient experience, enhanced levels of care, and increased staff satisfaction.
About Unify
Unify is one of the world’s leading communications software and services brands, providing
integrated communications and collaboration solutions worldwide. Our customers range in size
from 5 employees to 500,000+ employees. Our solutions unify multiple voice, video and data
networks, connected devices and applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams
to collaborate effectively and efficiently – anytime, anywhere. The result is a transformation of
how the enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes
the business, improves employee satisfaction and enhances business performance. Unify has a
strong heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and security. Our OpenScape
and Circuit communications solutions provide a seamless and efficient collaboration experience
– on any device. Together, the group’s global team of UCC experts and service professionals set
the standard for a rich communications and collaboration experience that empowers teams to
deliver better results. Unify is an Atos company.
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