iPLATO, the developers of myGP®, have made several upgrades to its Remote Consultation module in a bid to help users meet the needs of patients during the current Covid-19 outbreak. Improvements include adding Remote Consultation ‘Enterprise’ capability which allows teams of clinicians to collaborate across multiple GP practices in provide digital care to patients.
Released in early March, the upgrade enables practices to use Remote Consultation to filter and review all appointments, whether booked via the myGP app, by phone, patient walk-in or using another online system. The clinician can review the booked appointments with the aim to triage and asses the patient ahead of time. This means clinicians can ensure that medicine reviews, asthma reviews and other routine appointments are conducted remotely, reducing footfall to the surgery as well as reviewing consultations due to take place with vulnerable or at-risk patients.
From within Remote Consultation on the myGP platform clinicians can send messages to patients, either to gather further information, such as travel history, or to inform them that their appointment will be conducted remotely, with video consultations being initiated from within the same platform. Further changes to the module also involve including several filters, so that appointments can be viewed by appointment type, booking type, booking method or a free-text search function for keywords such as ‘cough’ or ‘fever’.
In addition to the upgrades to Remote Consultation for GP practices, iPLATO are launching a first version of Remote Consultation ‘Enterprise’ this week. Enterprise will enable an approved clinician to use the platform to triage and initiate a video of message consultation with someone at any practice, a solution designed for PCNs and CCGs to optimise digital health services across their population.
CEO at iPLATO Healthcare, Tobias Alpsten commented. ‘We are really pleased to be recognised for the work that the myGP platform has been achieving in primary care. Primary Care is vital in helping to manage the current Covid-19 pandemic, while still continuing to look after the health of our population. By using the myGP platform to manage everything from outbound patient engagement, appointment booking through to triage and video consultation primary care can continue to play its important role. As our solution is web-based it means that a clinician can use the platform from his or her own device while working from home, triaging appointments and conducting them from his or her own home. I want to send a huge thank you to the NHS at this time, who have been working so tirelessly and we are proud to be able to provide them with top-class technology to assist them in their efforts.’
myGP, accessed via a smartphone app by patients and through a secure web interface by clinicians, is the UK’s largest independent medical app with 1.6 million active users. Currently used in over 6,500 GP practices, myGP was the most downloaded medical app in the UK in 2019.
