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Parkway Singapore , another healthcare provider with four locations in the country , saw how the pandemic accelerated the digitalisation of healthcare services and launched a suite of digital services in the early months of the outbreak in Singapore patients from the other patients ,” said Dr Low . A platform has been in place since the hospital opened in 2016 that enables doctors to access their patients ’ laboratory reports or scan results in real-time on their mobile devices .
For their part , patients have access to a so-called Smart Mobile Interactive Tablet during their stay . This integrates their medical records with a meal ordering system that sends their choices straight to the kitchen . Allergies and dietary constraints are considered automatically when displaying meals for selection . Patients also use the tablet to access digital entertainment and information .
Farrer Park also has a smart nursing system that aligns care across its nursing teams , as many come from different hospitals and countries . The platform uses machine learning to cue nurses in on the kinds of questions they need to ask to ensure they have all the essential information from their patients . For instance , the system can pull out wound-care statistics and patients ’ case notes .
Specialists can also consult with their patients through telemedicine and send out prescriptions for delivery to their doorsteps .
“ It allows our patients in Singapore and around the region to continue their treatment and medical appointments despite safe distancing measures or country border restrictions ,” Dr Low said .
Parkway Singapore , another healthcare provider with four locations in the country , saw how the pandemic accelerated the digitalisation of healthcare services and launched a suite of digital services in the early months of the outbreak in Singapore .
While movement restrictions have since eased , enquiries on the hospital ’ s digital platforms remain strong , reflecting a paradigm shift in the adoption of digital healthcare services among its patients . While the hospital sees this as an opportunity for healthcare providers to unlock greater efficiencies and drive better patient experience , it expects digital services to play just a complementary role to in-person visits to its facilities , rather than replacing them entirely
“ We recognise that many patients still place great value on face-to-face interactions with their care providers . There ’ s only so much such personal experiences can be substituted by digital alternatives ,” said Parkway chief marketing officer Jeffrey Law . “ With this in mind , we ’ ll continue to explore and offer the best suite of services both on-line and off-line to ensure our patients can reach us and receive the best possible care wherever they may be .”
In Thailand , Bangkok ’ s Samitivej group of seven hospitals was the first in the country to launch an online teleconsultation platform when Virtual Hospital was launched last March . The service offers aroundthe-clock access to primary-care physicians through telemedicine .
This year Samitivej added 400 specialists to its Virtual Hospital . By increasing its scope , the hospital is able to lower costs and improve access to care . For example , its consultation fees through telemedicine are lower than at the hospital , while it ’ s also waived some administrative fees . Patients who use telemedicine also spend less time in the hospital , providing additional cost savings to both the hospital and patient .
“ It makes it easier for people with disabilities to have access to care . It can also improve access for other populations , including older adults or people who are geographically isolated . We have overseas patients who are able to conduct follow-up appointments from their home country ,” said Nicolas Leloup , Samitivej ’ s assistant director of international marketing .
Once logged on to the Virtual Hospital , the patient is greeted by one of Samitivej ’ s nurses who determines the medical condition and assesses whether teleconferencing is the appropriate channel for the patient . Then a corresponding doctor initiates the teleconsultation .
According to Leloup , the nurse plays a critical role and receives extensive training in order to accurately screen the patients . A manual developed in-house includes standard questioning and a decision tree is provided to all staff .
Doctors have also had to adapt their expertise to this new medical setting . Even typical limitations , such as lack of access to vital signs , are being solved , and Samitivej is now able to provide patients with health examination devices that can connect to the Virtual Hospital platform and provide readings in real time
Samitivej was the first in Bangkok to launch an online teleconsultation platform
48 NOVEMBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com