MKUH Integrates iOWNA Platform
Milton Keynes University Hospital has introduced new functionality that will enable patients to receive trusted guidance and education, specific to their condition, which will help them to better manage their own healthcare.
The Trust has partnered with digital health start-up iOWNA to integrate the firm’s educational platform into the hospital’s electronic health record system eCARE, enabling clinicians to direct patients to useful information at the touch of a button.
The integration follows an extensive nine-month audit process where the platform has been used across a range of specialities including Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and the inflammatory bowel Disease Clinic. The audit revealed that among the 422 patients who were on-boarded onto the iOWNA platform, clinicians were able to save 232 in-person appointments, with the shift to using the platform in total saving 14,735 minutes of nursing time. In feedback surveys, patients reported feeling more engaged with their treatment, with the ‘usefulness of having information on device’ scoring 9.06/10.
The iOWNA platform contains health content, advice and guidance which has been clinically curated to allow patients to understand their condition and offers useful tips and support to manage their own healthcare. The first-of-its-kind solution aims to transform the way care and services are delivered, improving clinical outcomes and patient experience as well as saving valuable clinician time.
Joe Harrison, Chief Executive at MKUH, said: “We know that digital solutions offer the opportunity to transform the way we see and treat patients as well as allow our patients to be more directly involved in their healthcare management. The results from our audit demonstrate the hugely positive impact that the iOWNA platform can deliver for both clinicians and patients and this integration with our electronic patient record system is another step we are taking to increase patient ownership.”
The platform works by a clinician referring a patient through their electronic record. This will then contact the patient, via an SMS message, to provide a link to the iOWNA portal. The link will only include advice specifically relating to the patient’s condition, reducing the need to search for the information.
Prof Millicent Stone, CEO of iOWNA and consultant rheumatologist, said: “The vast challenges facing the NHS will require innovative, and more efficient approaches which bring traditional models of patient care into the digital age. Our studies have demonstrated a positive response to a digital-first approach to patient care and a sign that our platform can have a big impact on both clinicians and patients, whose health outcomes are too often affected by the pressures currently facing the health service.”
