EIDO Healthcare's Digital Consent and Patient Feedback Collaboration with KeyForCare: A vision for a virtual patient journey

By EIDO Healthcare

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, technology plays a pivotal role in improving patient experiences, enhancing clinical workflows, and optimising healthcare delivery. EIDO Healthcare, a leading provider of procedure information and digital consent solutions, is at the forefront of this technological revolution.

Our plans at EIDO Healthcare, however, extend beyond informing patients and taking consent. We spoke to Mr Simon Parsons (Honorary Professor, Consultant General Surgeon and Chief Technical Officer at EIDO Healthcare), about the future of informed consent. He said:

“My big vision is a two-way virtual interaction between the patient and the clinician.”

To fulfil this vision, we have partnered with KeyForCare, a digital Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREM) platform. In our conversation with Mr Parson, we delved into the motivations, benefits, and future prospects of this collaboration.

The vision: integrating informed consent and patient feedback

EIDO Healthcare’s informed consent solution primarily focuses on providing information to the patient virtually and supporting clinician-patient interactions. However, to enhance the patient journey, it became apparent that we also needed patients to share information virtually with their healthcare team. KeyForCare, with its expertise in PROMs and PREMs, was the ideal partner to complete this patient journey.

Efficiency and resource optimisation

The collaboration with KeyForCare has introduced an efficient system of gathering essential patient information. Patients can now be sent questionnaires on their smartphones, allowing them to provide information about their health and social habits ahead of their consultation. This data seamlessly integrates into the hospital system, ensuring that clinicians are prepared for the assessment.

As Mr Parsons says, this system is a game-changer, as it allows patients to bypass unnecessary in-person assessments, saving both time and resources. This streamlined process benefits patients and the healthcare system.

Patient-initiated follow-up: ?a new paradigm

One of the ground-breaking aspects of this collaboration is patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU). In the NHS, traditional follow-up clinics consume significant resources, often without patients needing to be physically present. With KeyForCare, patients can easily provide information about their recovery through post-operative questionnaires. These questionnaires assess symptoms, pain levels and wound condition (even allowing patients to share photographs of their wounds). This data means clinicians can efficiently monitor infection rates, identify patients in need of intervention, and, most importantly, prevent the unnecessary return of patients who are recovering well. The impact of this patient-initiated follow-up on both patient care and healthcare-cost reduction could be profound.

Balancing clinical and commercial considerations

When asked if commercial considerations played a role in this collaboration, Mr Parsons explains that what’s best for patients can also benefit the NHS trust financially. Patients who are recovering well after surgery may not want, or need, to visit the hospital for a simple check-up. A virtual consultation serves their needs better. This approach aligns with the financial considerations of the NHS, where cost savings are a priority. By reducing the need for in-person visits and optimising the patient journey, both clinical and commercial goals are achieved.

A comprehensive patient journey

EIDO Healthcare’s approach to KeyForCare goes beyond dividing it into separate PREM and PROM components. Instead, we view it as an integrated solution for the entire patient journey. This journey encompasses not only pre-procedure and post-procedure assessments, but also patient satisfaction and experiences. The versatility of the platform extends to pre-assessment and more.

EIDO Healthcare’s vision is to streamline the patient journey by leveraging technology, ensuring that patients only need to be physically present for essential medical procedures. In the long term, this approach can lead to virtual wards, quicker discharges, and remote patient monitoring.

Scalability across healthcare

One of the most promising aspects of this collaboration is its scalability. EIDO Healthcare and KeyForCare designed the solution to be adaptable not only within the NHS but also across the private sector. The implementation process is streamlined, and minimal integration requirements make it an attractive option for healthcare providers looking to enhance their patient journeys. As Mr Parson’s points out:

‘It’s something that can be used across the NHS and indeed, in the private sector as well. It doesn’t need a great deal of integration and the more minimal the integration the quicker it is to get off the ground.’

The future: virtual patient-clinician relationships

Looking ahead, Mr Parsons sees a future where the entire patient journey is supplemented with a virtual relationship between hospitals and patients. While patients will need to come into hospital for their medical procedures, most other aspects of their care care can be handled virtually. The concept of virtual wards and remote patient monitoring holds great promise, and EIDO Healthcare’s collaboration with KeyForCare is a significant step towards realising this vision.

EIDO Healthcare’s collaboration with the KeyForCare patient feedback solution represents a transformation in the patient journey. By embracing technology, we are not only enhancing patient experiences, but also saving valuable healthcare resources.

This partnership opens doors to efficient follow-up care, patient-initiated assessments, and a future where virtual healthcare becomes the norm. EIDO Healthcare and KeyForCare are pioneering a new era of patient-clinician interaction, ensuring that healthcare remains patient-centred, efficient, and cost-effective.