The National University Health System (NUHS) is taking a significant step towards revolutionizing patient care by rolling out its telemedicine feature to the entire healthcare cluster by 2022. This innovative technology aims to improve patient convenience, reduce hospital crowding, and enhance overall health management.
One of the key features of this cutting-edge app is teleconsultation, which allows patients to book and reschedule appointments, receive SMS reminders, and even view the number of patients ahead of them in the queue. After a virtual consultation, patients can make payments and have their medication delivered directly to their homes. Caregivers can also join in on the teleconsultation from their own devices, making it easier for loved ones to be involved in patient care.
Developed jointly by NUHS and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), the app has already seen success with over 100 patients at Alexandra Hospital using its teleconsultation feature since August. The majority of these patients have stable chronic conditions that require regular check-ins, making virtual consultations a convenient and effective solution.
By December, NUHS aims to move at least 90% of patients scheduled for teleconsultations at Alexandra Hospital to the OneNUHS app's teleconsultation service. This is just the beginning, as plans are in place to roll out the feature to National University Polyclinics in February, followed by National University Hospital (NUH) and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital next year.
The OneNUHS app offers a range of features beyond teleconsultation, including the ability to request medical reports, medication refills, and view laboratory results. Patients can also access their Covid-19 records, immunization records, and health screenings recommendations based on demographic and health status.
Ms Clara Sin, chief operating officer of NUH and group service transformation and medical records offices, emphasized the importance of telemedicine in today's healthcare landscape: "The introduction of this feature is especially timely considering the Covid-19 situation. We want to ensure continuity of care for all patients and save them the trouble of traveling physically to the hospital."
Mr Alan Goh, assistant chief executive of platform services and chief of the HealthHub team at IHiS, added that telehealth has seen exponential growth in recent years: "In the last 1½ years, monthly use of teleconsultation has increased about 30 times to about 12,000 sessions." He also highlighted the app's integration with NUHS' appointment systems and advanced features like fingerprint and facial recognition login.
As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, it's clear that telemedicine will play a vital role in shaping patient care. With its cutting-edge technology and commitment to innovation, OneNUHS is poised to revolutionize healthcare and transform patient experiences for years to come.