Salesforce com : Virtual Care Can Reach More Pediatric Patients and Drive Better Health Outcomes

Digital health tools enable patients to take control of their health in the way that best suits them, their lifestyle and their personal preferences. [Malte Müeller/Salesforce]

Virtual care has grown from an occasional phone call to a full-fledged virtual operation. We now have the ability to deliver complex, trusted patient care anywhere. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the adoption of virtual care was slow, representing less than 1% of the total volume of care. However, the past two years have proven that the need for healthcare outside of the doctor’s office is not just a “nice to have” but a necessity.

Patients who never thought of virtual care as a reliable option now expect it. It is more convenient and efficient. So much so that 60% of patients want to use technology more often when it comes to communicating, treating and managing conditions. Virtual care is quickly becoming the next frontier with at least 25% of all outpatient, preventive, long-term care and wellness services expected to move to digital delivery by 2040.

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Tackling complex issues with innovative care

I recently took a trip to Barcelona, ​​Spain to take a closer look at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, a leading children’s hospital in Europe, founded in 1867 and a pioneer of pediatric palliative care. Led by Dr. Sergi Navarno, President of the Spanish Association of Palliative Care (SECPAL), and Dr. Francesc Garcia Cuyàs, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, has successfully set up, scaled and delivered comprehensive virtual care. Their effective use of technology, dedicated specialists, robotics and machines have enabled them to work with a particularly vulnerable pediatric population.

Closing the access hole

Hospital Sant Joan de Déu’s innovations prove that the benefits of virtual care go far beyond the circumstances of the pandemic. Their scalable operation benefits countless children and families and supports the entire health and wellness journey, including patient/family education, wellness checks, communication with care teams and remote monitoring.

[The hospital’s] the ability to virtually address complex conditions… has enabled their team to deliver better care wherever their patients are.

The facility now has the ability to reach beyond their immediate environment and work with children who might not otherwise have access. As the shortage of pediatric physicians grows, virtual care is enabling more children to benefit from hospital treatment remotely, whether they are in a rural clinic without pediatricians or in the comfort of their homes. It eases the burden on patients and caregivers who would otherwise have to travel for appointments and allows doctors to see more patients. In short, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu’s ability to virtually address complex conditions by combining communication, technology and devices on one platform has enabled their team to deliver better care wherever their patients are.

How have they successfully innovated in the field of virtual care?

Many patients at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu require a wide range of medical procedures. To deliver virtual care and successfully meet the specific needs of their patients, they needed to develop an approach that would combine clinical and operations teams with tools and technology. All of their data is centralized in a command center known as the Cortex Project, from which they can get a 360-degree view of the entire operation. The Cortex project oversees everything from virtual care to ambulance dispatch, hospital maintenance, financial operations, logistics and more. This approach enables the hospital to deliver more personalized, accurate and accessible pediatric care everywhere.

In addition to the Cortex project, the hospital collaborated with technology companies to innovate care delivery. They use Teladoc Health to facilitate the hospital’s virtual care. By linking care to connectivity, clinicians can speak to and monitor patients remotely. And with the help of robotics and intelligent machines, clinicians can even control and monitor devices such as ventilators, ECG machines and infusion pumps without being in the same room, extending the way complex care is delivered within the hospital to other medical centers. streamlined. , or in a patient’s home.

All clinical and non-clinical data is easily accessible in one central location… Not only does this increase efficiency and minimize errors, but it also allows hospital staff to get to know patients and their families better.

Salesforce Health Cloud is the backbone of patient data. It serves as their sole source of truth and ensures that the right data is matched to the right patient. All clinical and non-clinical data is easily accessible in one central location, creating a comprehensive, easily digestible picture of the patient. Not only does this increase efficiency and minimize errors, but it also allows hospital staff to get to know patients and their families better. The result is better, more informed, and timely care that builds trust.

What steps can healthcare providers take to set up comparable virtual healthcare operations?

Digital health tools enable patients to take control of their health in the way that best suits them, their lifestyle and their personal preferences.

Sant Joan de Déu Hospital has proven that combining communication, technology and devices on one platform leads to better, more accessible care. It allows clinicians to maximize resources and reach more people in less time. Digital health tools enable patients to take control of their health in the way that best suits them, their lifestyle and their personal preferences. What can providers who want to set up similar operations learn from this?

The success of Hospital Sant Joan de Déu depends on both strategic partnerships and a fundamental data operation. Together, these enable them to:

Connect different systems and centralize data in one accessible location Understand patient preferences and needs for care, communication and treatment Provide complex specialist support to local and international hospitals remotely

Starting with these kinds of foundations allows providers to answer critical questions and pinpoint areas ripe for innovation. As we enter the next era in healthcare, virtual care enables us to meet new challenges, meet new expectations and open up a new world of possibilities.

Provide accessible and trusted care everywhere

Read more about the innovations of Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in The Future of Virtual Care.

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