Healthcare Magazine September 2020 | Page 47

IMPROVING MEDICAL STAFF ’ S COMMUNICATIONS
what someone ’ s health situation or condition might be , determine the acuity of the user ’ s problem and then recommend a course of action , whether it be a GP or nurse appointment , pharmacy recommendation , or simply to rest . “ This is one of the best ways of generating capacity in a crisis situation , such as we ’ ve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic ,” Spiegelberg adds . “ The advantage is that algorithms can be updated very quickly to identify people with specific symptoms , even if the disease is relatively new .”
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IMPROVING MEDICAL STAFF ’ S COMMUNICATIONS
Despite their crucial importance to a hospital ’ s operations , research by British Telecom ( BT ) indicates that the communications networks used by doctors and nurses have room for greater efficiency . To address this , BT supported software company Medic Creations in the development of Medic Bleep , which it likens to a “ dedicated WhatsApp for doctors ”. Citing a peerreviewed study in which the app was found to save nurses 21 minutes per shift and doctors 48 minutes , Medic
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