Heartbeat: Virtual is now a reality across our workplace

June 3, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we all work with teams constantly looking at different approaches to meet the daily challenges presented by the pandemic.

One thing we have all embraced during this pandemic is the use of technology with WebEx meetings and events becoming the norm. Part of this digital ‘revolution’ has also seen clinics being done digitally using an online tool called Visionable.

Mark Whitehouse, Head of Patient Access & Planned Care, told Heartbeat that our clinicians have been using Visionable to see their patients virtually for a number of weeks now with some great feedback.

“Patients have really embraced the technology and have welcomed not having to travel to hospital for routine follow up appointments whilst also saving on taxi fares, parking fees and having to book time off from work,” said Mark.

“Clinicians have also been pleased with the way Visionable works, it is secure and allows them to assess patients and call them in for a face to face if they feel that is necessary for their treatment.”

Mark added: “We are only scratching the surface in terms of what the technology can do. It is possible for instance for clinicians to share x-ray results with the patient, inviting other clinicians into the consultation for second opinions and other members of the team like physios or even interpreters all through virtual technology. We are liaising with colleagues to see what else they would like to do within Visionable and we will work with the supplier to ensure we are using the technology to its maximum potential.”

Visionable/WebEx is also about to change the way we do ward rounds. Earlier this month Respiratory Consultant, Arvind Rajasekaran conducted a trial of a virtual ward round using Webex on Newton 3 and was positive about the outcome.

He told us: “Initial feedback was very encouraging. The audio and video was very clear and patients (aged up to 70) involved in the trial were very positive too.

“Although older patients (80 and above) did appear to struggle with interface, often searching for the consultant and speaking out of sync. Our recommendation is that we avoid using the technology when the ward is very busy (with bleep monitors in the back ground) as it degrades the consultation experience for both the patient and the clinician.”

Arvind did not get the opportunity to test scenarios that require a sensitive conversation such as DNACPR but suggested the virtual ward would be ideal for routine ward rounds and checks on patients following a normal face to face contact.

He said: “It would be great for the afternoon huddle with a quick check on a patient or two especially if the clinician is on a different site and to facilitate decisions on patient transfer. Visionable/Webex may also be suitable for weekend ward rounds where discharges can be facilitated following previously agreed plans.

“Having the option of virtual ward rounds is great for colleagues although I do not anticipate that this will replace of face to face ward rounds. For the virtual ward round to work well, the junior doctor and the consultant need to ensure they study each case independently to avoid the risk of overlooking information and thus making the process safer.

“The human to human non-verbal interaction that happens on a team ward round is removed and the effect of this is unclear. The environmental impact and sustainability agenda will have to be captured so involving our sustainability team would be a good idea. However, overall the virtual ward round is a positive experience.”