WiFi SPARK partners with Health and Care Videos to boost patient education and help lower readmission rates.
Educational videos empower patients, improve the hospital experience and increase patient confidence.
WiFi SPARK, a leading provider of WiFi and technology solutions for hospitals, today announces a new partnership with Health and Care Videos, providing hospitals with a Health Information Video Library to improve patient education. The videos, available via WiFi SPARK’s SPARK® Media platform, will provide patients with access to 450 educational videos.
With decreasing budgets, greater time constraints on staff and more people using the service, the NHS continues to be put under increasing pressure. While recent reports have stated the majority of NHS Trusts are running hospitals with dangerously overcrowded wards, wait lists are also at an all-time high, and in-patient consultation time is limited. Readmission rates, on average, are costing the NHS £2.4bn per year. The Health Foundation’s research also suggests shortcomings in patient education has contributed to the 33.7% increase in non-specialist re admissions in the last 10 years.
WiFi SPARK’s latest partnership with Health and Care Videos is helping hospitals to overcome challenges associated with patient education. The Health Information Video Library made available via the SPARK® Media platform is home to hundreds of educational videos on a range of conditions and illnesses, helping patients understand more about their condition without relying solely upon daily consultations and NHS staff. The video library also offers patients guidance on rehabilitation and how to manage their condition after being discharged to help prevent readmission.
When linked to a hospital’s Patient Administration System (PAS), the SPARK® Media platform will share notifications and links to relevant videos that will educate patients on why they have been admitted, and their condition. For instance, a diabetic patient could be shown videos explaining the condition and its management, including guidance on daily blood tests, insulin admission and the associated long-term health risks. Videos can also be available to patients on a ward-specific basis.
Ellen Jenkins, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Health and Care Videos, said, “Patients can often feel overwhelmed processing lots of information about their illness and aftercare, and may forget what their clinician has told them, or misplace information leaflets. It is for this reason that we developed Health and Care Videos. Having short, easily accessible information videos to watch at any time, and share with family members and carers, can provide assured information that helps to alleviate anxiety and empowers patients to self-manage their own condition. It is our experience that better-informed patients ask more targeted questions during appointments and make less frequent phone calls to departments. This leads to shorter appointment times and fewer visits, so increases the capacity of staff, improves workflow and reduces costs.”
“NHS hospitals are overcrowded and underfunded, and readmission rates, along with a lack of patient knowledge, is adding to the strain on our NHS. Empowering patients and providing them with the tools they need to learn, is paramount to help relieve some of the pressure on hospitals today,” said Matt O’ Donovan, CEO of WiFi SPARK. “Our partnership with Health and Care Videos provides patients with access to educational videos that can help them on their road to recovery and give them insight into concerns they may not feel comfortable asking doctors and nurses. We believe in the adoption of technology to improve the patient experience, and our new partnership is just one step in our mission to bring the patient experience into the 21st century.”
The Health and Care Video Library is already being utilised by NHS Trusts, Universities and the wider healthcare market. Health and Care Videos has already seen an 80% reduction in angiogram pre-op clinic time, 500 hours saved a year in pre-diabetic consultations, 25% reduction in podiatry appointment times and 5 minutes less time spent explaining inhaler techniques.
