April 20198The health sector is paying a lot of attention to how technology can be used for improving data collection, creating efficiencies, cutting costs, and enhancing workforce performance. Less strategic attention is being given to what technology can do to improve the patient experience and outcomes. There are pockets of interest and a small amount of research but it is hardly a revolutionary approach. We need to rethink our strategies because increasingly the measurement of patient satisfaction is going to be a factor in hospital performance standards and measurement. The more hospitals can demonstrate innovative approaches to improving patient satisfaction the more successful they will be. Online Physician services. The insurance industry is pushing this hard as an alternative to visiting a community practice. Convenient (24/7), discrete, and inexpensive. In my world of youth cancer we think it has possibilities for expansion. Whilst cancer treatments still need to be given in outpatient and inpatient settings it may be that some consultations and patient support can be given on line in much the same way as the new physician services. Trips to hospitals are time consuming and expensive. Low-income patients have Simon Davies, Executive Director, Teen Cancer AmericaByTECHNOLOGY IS THE HEARTBEAT OF YOUTH been known to miss important appointments and even procedures because they can't afford the time or the expense. Online services could improve adherence and outcomes.Most hospitals are developing patient portals and in the era of freedom of information it makes sense to give patients access to their own medical records. However, possibly the most liberating aspect of a good quality portal is that it allows the patient time to reflect and interact in a more meaningful way with the staff that are supporting them. Questions not thought of in the time limited face-to-face appointments can be asked through the portal. More information can be communicated in a two-way exchange.Patients can't always get the support they need from busy, sometimes understaffed teams. Charities and therapeutic groups have often been their source of support. However, they don't always suit everyone. One recent innovation designed with young people for young cancer patients is Hope Lab's `Vivibot'. This is a Chatbot that strives to shift mindsets by teaching evidence-based positive psychology skills in a friendly conversational format. Its 24/7 availability and its non-judgmental anonymity are the features that young people are most responding to. The development of patient apps is on the increase. Organizations like Stupid Cancer who developed the In My Opinion
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