Vulnerable patients are empowered by digital solution
Since 2017, Social Services Administration in the City of Copenhagen has offered a patient guide to vulnerable patients. Employees at the different departments are responsible for the content and design of the patient guides. A patient guide is delivered through an app on the patient's phone and offers a direct line of communication to the staff of the Social Service Administration.
How a care guide can make it easier to be a patient
According to an article, the messaging function in the app is frequently used by many of the patients, who are very satisfied with this solution. It has been valuable in particular to patients who are more comfortable writing things in an app that they may find difficult to address physically. writes KL and KOMBIT: Knowledge Centre for Digitalization and Technology in the article, "Digital solution makes it easier to be a citizen in a treatment process in the City of Copenhagen"
According to the article, the employees have also noticed that the videos they upload to the app are frequently accessed by patients.
"The administration has also found that patients find it very useful to be able to review the information material available in their patient guide, for example in the form of "Show the Way" videos. In Disability Center, the employees have been able to see that some patients have re-watched these videos up to 10 times, and that it has therefore been a great help for them to have the app at their fingertips," writes KL and KOMBIT's Knowledge Centre for Digitalization and Technology.
Fewer no-shows is one of the benefits
The purpose of the Social Service Administration's care guides for patients and their relatives is to help out and clarify things easily.
The patients who receive support from the Social Services Administration in the City of Copenhagen are often in difficult life situations and the patient guides have successfully made it possible to reach patients who were previously difficult for staff to establish contact to.
The Patient Guide platform was first implemented in the area of substance abuse with success. The result was fewer no-shows and a higher adherence to rehabilitation programs. The digital solution is also used in the areas of disability and children and adolescents and the Social Administration in the City of Copenhagen wants to expand it to cover all services.
A solution that can benefit several places
Disability Center and Center Children & Youth also use care guides, and the Social Service Administration in the City of Copenhagen wants to use the solution in all services going forward.
According to the article, the Social Services Administration “has opened a new channel of communication to patients, which can give patients a special sense of security and a better overview of their situation. The aim of the solution is that it will contribute to patients' increased trust in the Social Services Administration and a belief that they are there to help patients".
