Three Tech-Connect Tools to Connect Patient’s to their Health
Updated: Nov 8, 2021
Tech-connect tools are popping up across the continuum of health care facilities and communities.
3 Tech-Connect Tools to Connect Patient’s to their Health
Over the last decade of so, there has been a strong push in healthcare to empower patients to partner with their providers in their health care.
The first tech-connect tool is the San Diego Immunization Registry (SDIR). This registry allows parents a place to store their child’s vaccination card online. Historically, kids would receive a vaccine and a yellow card with documentation of the vaccine but if the parents lose it, then it was difficult to prove the vaccine was already taken and kids would get double doses. SDIR has connected patients to their vaccines, no matter where they receive the vaccine. This allots for continuity of care, centralized storage of vaccinations and has proven to be a benefit to patients and the care they receive.
The next tech-connect tool is the Fitbit activity tracker watch. The Fitbit website states that this watch will help the consumer take charge of their health by putting a world of health and fitness in their hands. This tool helps patients monitor their personal health and then use the data gathered to make healthier choices for better health outcomes.
The third tech-connect tool has been emerged within the outpatient primary care arena for quite some time. It is an app that outpatient clinics use to connect their patients to care they receive from a healthcare organization. At Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, the app is called Follow My Health. The name says it all, it allows patients to follow their health. Patients can view their medical records on their personal cell phones or any other device with access to the internet. The app also provides information for patients to help them improve their wellness, such as, the ability to create meal or workout planes and create a personal wellness assessment. Historically, after a patient has seen a provider and gets home, they tend to forget what happened in the visit or must wait for the next visit to receive their lab results. But with this app, they can view the results as soon as they have resulted. This has been beneficial to keeping a patient informed and ultimately engaged to their overall health.
In conclusion, healthcare leadership should continue to monitor information technology trends available and evaluate how they can implement them to provide for increased patient engagement.
References
County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) (2021). SDIR/CAIR San Diego Regional Immunization Registry. http://www.sdiz.org/cair-sdir/Keep-IZs-Online.html
Fitbit. (2021). https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/home
Sharp Health Plan. (2021). Follow My Health Login. https://www.sharphealthplan.com/login
