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How to increase clinician facilities without the hassle of a building project

Tuesday, 24 November 2020  

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Industry Innovation Article – Sektor/ hushoffice

This year has seen an increasing need to think outside the box. COVID-19 has not only rapidly accelerated the growth of remote appointment delivery, but has affected how clinicians interact with patients face-to-face. These challenges have led to a range of innovations in how care is delivered, as we are forced to adapt quickly to change.

We’ve heard how many practitioners have had challenges as they turned their surgeries and consultation rooms into facilities to conduct virtual appointments, delivering telehealth via videoconferencing platforms as a way to provide non-urgent care. Additionally, in-person consultations have been moved outside to carparks, in foyers or temporary set-ups, due to the necessity of screening patients prior to entering the main facility. At times, demand has been overwhelming causing substantial challenges.

Taking a long-term view of the future of consultations, how can we assist clinics and hospitals to add value to the way that clinicians conduct appointments with their patients, whether this is delivered remotely, face-to-face or in-person? We explore two options we believe will be a future focus for clinics:

1. Dedicated telehealth workspaces

Telehealth, once considered a nice-to-have, is now an essential aspect of healthcare delivery. Ensuring the continuation of care for patients remains vital, even when they can’t get to you. How do we create a best-in-class telehealth workspace available to improve effective communication between healthcare workers, patients, and their families?

One answer is by creating a dedicated clinician workspace with purpose-built telehealth pods. The advantage of a dedicated space is that everything it contains can be optimised for telehealth, to make the appointment run smoothly. No matter who the care provider is, they can operate on a walk-in, walk-out basis with a suitably set-up telehealth pod.

  • Acoustic pods by design provide sound barriers to noise, both in and out, to maintain privacy.
  • Pods allow users to control the environment with dimmable lighting and adjustable airflow for comfort, important when completing several consultations in a row.
  • Pods are made with antimicrobial material and finishes that are easy to clean and be kept clean, for your peace of mind. 

Acoustic telehealth pods will satisfy demand from healthcare providers that want the ability to have a digitally equipped, private, and comfortable space for telehealth consultations, particularly for instances where they are delivering high numbers of appointments per month.

2. Portable, quick to assemble consultation rooms

In our conversations with providers, several have indicated additional consultation rooms in their clinics would be highly desirable. Being able to have a private conversation with a patient who may not need a full clinical room can be addressed by the addition of a consultation-friendly pod. Larger pods provide enough room for whanau as support for the patient, and when pods are equipped with a video conferencing solution a third party (such as a specialist) can be phoned in from the convenience of the patient’s local clinic.

Other concepts include utilising pods as immunisation rooms, as they are large enough to fit a nurse plus the patient and their family – ensuring a comfortable space for all without tying up a clinical room. The addition of frosted glass ensures basic privacy needs are met.

Why choose a pod over a permanent space?

Having worked through preliminary cost estimates with building project and facility managers, our findings indicate acoustic pod costs are on par with building an internal room into an existing building allowing for equivalent finishes such as acoustic wall panelling, lighting, ventilation etc that the pods include. This along with not requiring a Building Consent and a lack of construction disturbances in a busy clinic ensures a painless addition of extra working space.

The pods’ small footprint means every inch of available space would be well utilised. They can be easily assembled in a few short hours, without the need for building permits or a redesign of the entire floor space.

Another key reason to consider an acoustic pod is portability. Booths can be easily relocated to meet the changing needs of a clinic. So if you suddenly find a particular area that needs an additional consultation room and another doesn’t, relocating it is easy.

Hush acoustic pods are manufactured in Poland and distributed by NZ agent Sektor. We are committed to creating solutions for clinicians and patients in the healthcare field. Look out for our next article on how pods can be utilised for community care; and get in touch to chat further about our healthcare initiatives.

To speak with one of our acoustic pod specialists, get in touch with the team today.

www.hushpod.co.nz/healthcare

 

 

 

If you would like to provide feedback on the above feature article please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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