Welcome to our March newsletter. There’s something for everyone to help you keep up to date on the latest thinking and developments in the online healthcare world. In this issue:
- Trusted health links on the web. With more and more patients accessing the web for health information how can you help direct patients to trusted sites? More..
- Patients Drive Need for More Information. A recent Picker Institute report highlights an ideal opportunity for Practices to supply much needed information about medication on their website. More...
- Internet rated as ‘top hobby’ for the elderly. We take a look at the implications to Practice websites. More...
- 100 Website Updates Pays Off. We look at the most underestimated factor in website success - keeping the text updated. More...
- Are you inviting patients to send you repeat prescriptions via email? You’ll want to take a look at the risks and how they can be avoided. More...
- Hot off the press - patients will soon be able to receive information about their test results online More...
Trusted health links on the web
With more and more patients accessing the web for health information, Practices are keen to direct patients to trusted websites and supporting information.But knowing where to start can often be a problem.
In a recent article in the Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article623737.ece Dr Martyn Lobley and Simon Crompton give a breakdown of the ten most common illnesses and conditions searched for by patients. Their recommendations of the 'pick of the best' external websites will save you a lot of research time and is well worth plugging into if you can make the time. Also don’t forget if you’re constructing a piece of information to go onto your website - we have a library of external websites that link to specific health topics that we can share with you. Just give us a call on 01793 710500 or email info@siliconpractice.co.uk.
Patients Drive Need for More Information
A recent Picker Institute report presents an ideal opportunity for Practices to supply much needed information about medication on their website.The recent publication of the combined DofH and Picker Institute National Survey of Local Health Services 2006 http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/14/24/37/04142437.pdf highlights that 45% of patients felt they would like more information on their medication. These findings present Practice websites with a challenge to supply this sought-after information.
With this in mind, we have researched a selection of patient orientated websites that focus on medication. The following list are websites that we thought were well presented, came from recognised authorities, and have been written with the patient in mind.
http://medguides.medicines.org.uk
Developed in partnership with NHS Direct, Medicine Guides are a new source of information for members of the
public who are looking for facts about individual medicines, how they work, what they do, and possible side effects.
In addition, if your asthma nurses are looking for a chance to show patients correct inhaler usage, this could well be worth taking a look at: http://medguides.medicines.org.uk/demonstrations.aspx.
http://www.besttreatments.co.uk
is sourced from the British Medical Journal.
This website gives you a wealth of authoritative information about common conditions,
treatments and medication that are rated as 'likely to work', 'helpful but with downsides' or 'probably not worth trying'.
http://www.patient.co.uk/dils.asp?mn=4
This simply laid-out and informative site gives comprehensive information on how the medication works,
how effective they are, how quickly they work, the different types and side effects.
It’s well written in an easy conversational style.
Thank you to Asplands Medical Centre’s dispensers who have contributed their ideas and suggest http://medlineplus.gov/. Medline Plus provides a wealth of information from the world’s largest medical library, The National Library of Medicine. This American site gives information about drugs, precautions, side effects, administering medication, what to do in an emergency/overdose and the storing of medication.
If you have a website with us why not include these links on your prescriptions page? Just give us a call or email info@siliconpractice.co.uk and we’ll put them on your site for you.
Internet rated as ‘top hobby’ for the elderly
Every now and then practices say to us that they doubt whether many of their elderly patients will use a Practice website or online services, believing that that it will only be used by their younger patients.A new report from Axa: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/2967-retired-people-spend-more-time-online-than-in-the-garden.html has found that the internet is playing an ever increasing role in the lives of the elderly. So much so it’s now replaced gardening and DIY as the no.1 pastime for many older people.
As more and more elderly patients have more favourable intentions towards using the internet and extend surfing the net to using the web to purchase goods online there is every indication that online resources for health information will play a much larger role in the lives of the elderly.
Usage analysis for SiliconPractice online services show that the over 50’s use these services the most, with people in their 60’s + using the services as much as those in their 20’s. This supports the view that in fact the elderly are the group who are likely to get the most benefit from a Practice website and online services. They are the group who are less able to get out and visit their surgery, often relying on others to either take them to the surgery or to make contact with their GP.
If you’d like to find out how a practice website and online services can benefit your elderly patients, give us a call on 01793 710550 or email us at info@siliconpractice.co.uk.
100 Website Updates Pays Off
Congratulations to Attenborough Surgery - they have just achieved a first with SiliconPractice - the first surgery to have made one hundred website amendments to their site.Although this might sound like a lot of work Tracy Gray, Practice Manager at Attenborough Surgery has found that it has reaped huge benefits. She said "I have been motivated by positive feedback form all directions - patients, staff, other practices etc. At the end of day I am proud of what we have achieved with the website and want to keep it that way."
Tracy went on to say "With such a large practice the website is the ideal way to communicate with patients."
The benefits have not just been confined to positive feedback. Tracy has seen a rise in the numbers of visitors to her site every month since it was launched in February 2005. Last year through a combination of updating and by adding new features such as Practice News, Patient Participation Group page and their Practice newsletter, Tracy has seen the numbers of visitors to her site rocket from 700 visitors in Jan 2006 to almost 1,700 visitors in Jan 2007.
If you’d like to take a look at Attenborough Surgery’s website you’ll find it on www.attenboroughsurgery.co.uk.
Are you inviting patients to send requests for repeat prescriptions via email?
If you are inviting patients to send data to your practice via emails you could be rendering your practice open to fines under the Data Protection Act, even if you have a warning message saying that the service is insecure. Email is never secure on the open internet.One common myth is that no-one will be interested in spying on patient’s emails. According to a recent report by Symantec http://complianceandprivacy.com/News-Symantec-report-home-users.asp home-users of computers are now the most targetted attack sector for corrupt hackers and criminals - accounting for 86% of targetted attacks.
Stealing information or learning more about a celebrity who may be on your list is far more profitable than stealing someone’s television.
The BMA are explicit in their advice saying that "Doctors have a duty to protect the confidentiality of their patients and thus all emails should be conducted via secure connections and any patient identifiable data must only be sent using encrypted messages".
The good news is that protecting your Practice and making your patients’ experience of communicating with you via the web can be trouble-free if handled correctly.
SiliconPractice online services provides a safe environment for patients to communicate with Practices so you can avoid the legal risks associated with normal emails. Our interactive system works independently of your clinical system and provides a secure patient communication system using the web. So whether it’s for repeat prescriptions, or the ability for your patients to check something out with the doctor or nurse, or simply cancel an appointment you can now safely offer an extensive range of online services to your patients.
To find out more call us on 01793 710500 or email info@siliconpractice.co.uk or visit our website, www.siliconpractice.co.uk.
Hot off the press...
Test Results online is the latest development on SiliconPractice’ suite of online services and is being introduced in response to requests by many Practices who are already using our services.We are currently working with a Practice to develop Test Results online and trials are starting in the next couple of weeks.
As well as patients being able to request their results online, this service will also include a feature that will allow patients to track their results over a period of time.
We’ll keep you posted with developments on this front. If you’re interested in finding out more, please do get in touch on 01793 710500, email info@siliconpractice.co.uk or visit our website, www.siliconpractice.co.uk
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter select UNSUBSCRIBE.