Leeuwarden Medical Center, one of the frontrunners in the field of visual patient information, has chosen to integrate Indiveo information into Epic. As a result, the Indiveo information of the endoscopy department is now available in its own patient portal MijnMCL. A very nice result for both patients and healthcare providers. Margriet Terpstra, Team Manager Care Process Endoscopy department and outpatient MDL in the MCL, is enthusiastic about the use of Indiveo in her department: "All patients who come for a (control) scopy are offered comprehensible animations (Divi's) and a medical content questionnaire via MijnMCL and that pays off!"
Margriet Terpstra Team Manager Care Process Endoscopy at Leeuwarden Medical Center
Previously, all endoscopy patients were physically received at a 20-minute intake consultation by a nurse specialist. During this consultation hour, patients were explained about sedation (if any) and the scopy, in addition to some screening medically substantive questions. They were then scheduled for the scopy and left home again until the day of the scopy.
With the integration of Indiveo into Epic, patients no longer physically visit the hospital for this intake, education and screening. Through the MijnMCL patient portal, they are offered the relevant Divis, as well as the medical screening list. Patients thus go through this process completely digitally in MijnMCL and can then be scheduled for the scopy.
Initially, these patients received another 10-minute telephone consultation as a check, but this turned out to be needed much less often. Patients were so completely and clearly informed by the Divi that in most cases they had no more questions. Only when there are still details from the questionnaire, the patient is called to discuss this.
For patients, this new method saves a lot of time and (travel) costs, and it allows them to prepare for the scopy and any sedation at home, at their leisure. In fact, patients do not have to come to the hospital until the day of the actual scopy. Thereby, patients can also watch the Divi together with a loved one. This makes it easier for those around the patient to understand what the patient is going through and how they can be supportive.
- Margriet Terpstra, Team Manager MCL
The benefits are not only for patients, but also for healthcare providers. Nurse specialists, for example, save a lot of time with this new way of working. They check the status of each patient via a dashboard and can see exactly what stage of the process the patient is in. They receive automatic reminders about this via Epic. After patients complete the process, they can be digitally scheduled for the examination.
The time this saves nurse specialists is now being used to see and help per week see and help more new patients with PDS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) each week. Of course, these patients also receive a Divi explaining PDS prior to the consultation, so that these patients are well prepared and can ask the right questions.
The integration of Indiveo into Epic in the MCL endoscopy department is a quality improvement for both patients and caregivers. Patients are informed remotely and understandably, allowing them to arrive at their appointments feeling confident and prepared. Caregivers do more enjoyable and useful work, have more constructive conversations with patients and are also able to see and help more patients. With this, MCL shows that by digitizing, they are giving substance to appropriate care, in line with the challenges of the Integral Care Agreement.
