How PIFU will empower your patients and break your backlog

With the weekly ‘Clap for Carers’ now a fading memory, the nation is slowly coming to terms with the new normal: small weddings, socially-isolated entertainment and masked transport and grocery shopping. A future that seemed bleak and unnerving is now becoming reality. Meanwhile, the economy is hanging on and we share the responsibility of rejuvenating our high streets by practicing distanced shopping and dining out. And yet, despite all of these precautions being in place, still more needs to be done to protect our NHS.

Covid is bad enough but now there is a second threat emerging as a result: a backlog of patients waiting for treatment that is ever-growing. So what can we do? Health techs like ours have had to rethink our plans and accelerate our product development to match the needs of the hospitals we serve. Patients are still struggling to find the balance of when to stay out of hospital to avoid burdening the services further, and how to receive care when they really need it.

The answer to finding that balance lies in Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) appointments. Models like PIFU are key to re-setting the NHS because not only do they ensure the right patients come into hospital for appointments, they also reduce some of the administrative burden on hospitals by empowering the patient as an active member in their healthcare journey. Patient agency means that you can take control of your wellbeing by booking in your follow-up appointments in a frictionless, streamlined way by using technology and your digital device. This enables a far more effective process for hospitals, opens up capacity, and ensures clinicians can see and treat everyone, including those on waiting lists.

PIFU and patient empowerment are a key part in not just re-starting NHS services after the strain of the pandemic but resetting the way healthcare is delivered for our nation once this crisis has passed. By bringing the patient in the room we ensure a better health service.

At the core of DrDoctor is the idea of patient engagement. What patient engagement really means is giving people control of their own health. The easiest, and safest way to do that is by enabling them to book a follow-up appointment when they feel they need it.

Tom Whicher, DrDoctor CEO adds: “This totally turns the process on its head and takes a traditional, paternalistic “I’m going to tell you when to come in” type of a model and makes it about me as a patient. I feel sick, I have symptoms, I need to be seen. As a result, we start to feel like responsible partners in our own care and wellbeing, not just passengers on a journey”.

To find out how easy it is to switch on the DrDoctor solution for your Trust, please get in touch today and book a demo: hello@drdoctor.co.uk