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Tues I was part of the panel with @DrFJameel @DrRuthChambers & Chris McCann giving evidence to House of Lords Covid-19 committee on how tech might change (& already changing) how physical health services are delivered. Thread on what I talked about...
@HLCOVID19Com @TheKingsFund
@HLCOVID19Com @TheKingsFund
Before pandemic digital increasingly being used implementation slow in niche areas in isolated patches. Phone, sms, video, robotics, VR, apps all in progress before pandemic. Some hasn’t progress or has regressed during Covid other’s accelerated.
Instead the pandemic brought dramatic change in scale and pace. Without digital technology, much health and care provision would not have been possible once the virus took hold
We’re at the beginning of digital transformation most digital tools replicate physical domain. Even the simplest platform has potential to support care delivery in different ways such as video adding motion tracking to quantify patients motion. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/digital-revolution
Wearables can give improved and objective knowledge of an individuals general physical fitness modernising the 6 minute walk test or providing heart rate information in a more natural context. Lots of potential...
But need to think of infrastructure broadly training, skills, IT and leadership to have the tools that work for staff and their communities. Needs a national overarching direction with local decision making for local needs.
Embracing or more emphasis on digital has risks. Exclusion of digital poor (eg no connectivity, no data, no devices), people with visual impairment or hearing difficulties, and ethnic minorities. Co-dev with public is essential or risk of distrust & paternalistic model of care.
Need data and trust in tools and system – pointed to great work of @natalie_banner & @Patient_Data which needs to be used in data agreements.
To ensure the shift towards digital = better health outcomes, digital healthcare should be key component of blended healthcare provision, not replacement to traditional care. Physical & digital care must be given equal importance, fair funding and have equal emphasis on quality.
Addressing inequalities means recognising there will always be a need for physical care provision and it can’t be compromised just because digital channels are available.
One of the most significant challenges will be ensuring both maintenance and improvement of digital infrastructure occurs. As we’ve seen with its estate, the NHS struggles to maintain key physical infrastructure. Digital is no different. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2019/10/ERIC-data-nhs-estate
Hardware, software and IT infrastructure that becomes outdated increases cost, complexity and inefficiencies. It’s also important to look at how existing care fails or excludes people to ensure these barriers are not hard coded into digital care provision. /end
