Could harnessing healthcare technology offer a solution for doctors?
Research from medical resource library app, Indextra, has revealed that 83% of doctors are regularly seeing patients who have already self-diagnosed using online sources.[i] This is resulting in the vast majority (79%) of doctors feeling under increasing pressure to be even more knowledgeable.i This trend is coupled with the fact that appointment-waiting times are now at a 10-year high,[ii] which is leading to over three-quarters (76%) of doctors feeling pressured to diagnose patients quickly.i
With growing pressure to have all the answers and to do so as fast as possible, nearly 9 in 10 (88%) doctors surveyed say that they would themselves turn to online resources like Google or Wikipedia for a second opinion.i However, of those searching online, 92% are concerned with the objectivity of their search results.i
Doctors say they seek a second opinion online because they feel certain physical resources that they have at their disposal (e.g hardcopy textbooks and medical journals) are out of date (85%), or because using online resources is quicker (83%).i
In fact, the majority of doctors polled in the Indextra survey (84%) agree that digital developments, which support the efficient provision of healthcare, are required by todays taskforce.i In addition, 79% of doctors surveyed agree that greater availability of digital tools will help free up doctor’s time and resources for those patients who require urgent care.
A NEW DIGITAL RESOURCE FOR UK DOCTORS:
Indextra is a new medical resource library app that includes over 500 resources from textbooks to drug-guides and clinical guidelines. Launched this month, it packs essential medical resources into one easy-to-use app helping doctors optimize their time by providing credible and up-to-date resources at the touch of a button.
Magnus Olofsson, product manager at Indextra said: “We are really excited to launch the Indextra app as a resource that will support doctors in their day-to-day practice. By making key medical resources available to practitioners in this app format, we can help them to access the validated, credible information that they need quickly and on the go.”
“Our research revealed that over four fifths (84%)i of doctors agree that digital tools need to be embraced by the profession in the same way that they are already embraced by patients’ and we believe this launch will help doctors do just that!”
For more information, visit: https://www.indextra.com/
[i] Indextra research, conducted by Censuswide, June 2018
[ii] NHS operation waiting lists reach 10-year high at 4.3m patients, July 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/13/nhs-operation-waiting-lists-reach-10-year-high-at-43m-patients (Last Accessed: August 2018)
