The healthcare industry has been digitalizing and innovating for quite some time, but until recently they focused mainly on providing care. The corona crisis made it clear that innovation should take precedence and that new technologies should be adopted faster. As happens. Various media wrote about the adoption of video-calling in the healthcare industry. Video-meeting was implemented faster due to corona and the first results are positive.

Digitalization and innovation for the sake of making healthcare work easier and more efficient became high on the agenda, thanks to the corona crisis. Video-meetings are a first step. However, more technology is required to digitalize healthcare in a safe way. Globally, no tool did yet exist which ensured a secure video-call environment and allowed automatic checks whether everything is ready and in working order for the video-call. For instance, properly working audio, microphone, webcam and internet connection. Avit and Cisco joined forces and developed a virtual waiting room with a secure video-consult solution.

FROM PRE-CHECK TO WAITING ROOM

Avit Video Consult takes healthcare to a higher level. Two aspects have been developed that are unique to this industry. The first one is the secure virtual waiting room with a pre-check whether everything is in proper working order. Before a patient starts to consult his care provider, he will enter a personal waiting room through a personal link. An automatic pre-consult check is carried out before the patient enters this waiting-room. Just like in a normal waiting room, the patient can read some magazines or play a game in this virtual version. Furthermore, there are options for adding supplementary applications allowing patients for instance to read some information about their disorder or treatment, so they can ask their care provider targeted questions. A timer will also show how long the person still has to wait for his appointment, so he knows exactly where he is at. A real advantage over the physical waiting room.

Avit Video Consult has another plus both for patients and care providers. When waiting in the virtual waiting room, the software is automatically checked to see if everything duly functions for starting a digital consult. Is the internet connection working properly? Do microphone and camera operate? The patient can also be assisted in getting everything operational. Once all the signals have moved to green, the care provider can start the video consult with one click. No time will be lost anymore with getting all systems operational. As a result, there is efficiency for patient and care provider and the latter can fully focus on finding the right diagnosis or providing appropriate care.

PRIVACY GUARANTEE

Next to achieving efficiency, privacy is also very important. Seeing that confidential medical information, such as electronic patient files, is involved, this should not imply that a third party could easily listen in on information or gets access to the personal space. Existing solutions like Zoom and Microsoft do not provide a solution for this. The privacy of patients should be guaranteed. At Avit Video evidently a secure environment is used guaranteeing the privacy of patients at all times.

BEST CARE

It is obvious that there is still a way ahead in healthcare digitalization. Typically, software development can create major plus value in this respect. By computerizing processes and consolidating solutions more time can be spent on actual ‘care’. After all, video-consults do not mean that physical consults become unnecessary, on the contrary. Some complaints are better dealt with in a physical consult. Digitalization of consults involves a huge time gain for practitioners, whereat this time can also be used more efficiently. With Avit Video Consult and the pre-check we take a big step forward in digitalization and innovation of healthcare; quality in care.