Patient Information management in the digital age

Accelerate Associates has recently completed a market assessment of patient information management in the digital age.

Unlike tech companies that start off from a position of digital strength, the healthcare market needs to capitalise on the digital opportunities that are opening up to the market. Providing benefits such as scale, speed and reach, Accelerate Associates has recently conducted a market assessment survey for developer Health2Works Ltd; a company specialising in producing web and mobile applications that help NHS and local government organisations support patients and clients.

The research explored the current market for patient information leaflets and literature; exploring the authoring process, management of information, care pathways and where and when patient information is needed. This was all put into the context of shifting trends in acute care pathways and understanding the information needs of patients and their clinicians.

Depth interviews were conducted with clinical and management level respondents with the main focus directed towards Patient Information Officers. Other relevant clinicians and health management professionals were also identified and interviewed during the course of the research if they influenced or had direct control over patient information within a Trust.

Steve Pashley, Managing Director at Health2Works Ltd comments, “The research that Accelerate Associates undertook for Health2Works has been invaluable; a fantastic project enabling us to understand the potential value of digitalizing patient information and identifying the best routes into individual Trusts. One unforeseen benefit of the research is that some NHS Trusts expressed an interest in our digital patient information platform solution during the course of the research. These sales leads are most definitely an added bonus!”

Organisations from all markets are now using digital platforms to enable transformation. Supporting new models of how to do business, communicate and sell, platform systems have the potential to create real value in the health sector and wider digital economy.

“This was an exciting project to work on and that the patient information platform being developed by Health2Works is both relevant and timely in terms of providing a digital alternative to printed patient information” explains Katherine Bourne, Director at Accelerate Associates. “As acute care pathways are increasingly day-case focused, the need for good quality and timely patient information is crucial to achieving the best possible outcomes for patients.”

Accelerate Associates is a business-to-business marketing consultancy whose knowledge, experience and strategic insight help deliver expert public relations and specialist market research services to the medical, technology, bioscience and laboratory industries.