In this blog, babblevoice, a former DigitalHealth.London Accelerator business, explains how its purpose-built telephony system can help enable digital inclusivity for patients accessing health and care services.
In an era where digitalization is rapidly transforming healthcare, it is essential to ensure the inclusion of all patients. Technological advances such as online portals and telemedicine have revolutionized access to healthcare for many, but they can also exclude segments of society who, for various reasons, lack digital literacy or access to healthcare. technology.
In the midst of this digital revolution is a very advanced, yet familiar technology: the telephone. Widely available and easy to use, the simple telephone, combined with specialized surgical telephony such as babblevoice, can contribute to the inclusiveness of access to healthcare.
The digital divide in the healthcare sector
Around 1 in 20 UK households do not have access to the internet (Ofcom, 2022), and around 10 million adults lack basic digital skills (Lloyds Banking Group, 2022). The reasons for this are varied, but people in low-income households and the elderly are much more likely to fall into these categories.
The transition to digital health services has undeniably improved convenience and efficiency for many patients. Virtual appointments, online repeat prescriptions, and electronic health records like EMIS have streamlined processes and put patients in greater control of their healthcare journey. However, these advances have also exacerbated access disparities, leaving behind those who are unable to navigate digital platforms or who lack reliable internet access.
Although telephony has undergone a technological revolution, the handset remains a universally accessible tool that transcends barriers of age, socio-economic status and digital culture. Patients from all walks of life can pick up the phone and connect to their office.
Using a telephone system like babblevoice, specialized in primary care, allows practices to offer targeted access and support solutions to these patients. Maximizing opportunities in this area can play an important role in reducing health inequalities.
A bridge to digital healthcare
Babblevoice’s innovative design and seamless integration with other clinical systems allows patients to be guided through journeys that reflect the digital workflows of surgery. Once a patient logs into the platform with their phone, they can be guided through automated selections (e.g. call back, leave a message, make an appointment using their handset), directed to a range personalized options (e.g. refill prescription, vaccination clinic, test results) and even sorted using voice commands.
Babblevoice also allows the phone to serve as a bridge to digital services for patients who are happy to use them but cannot access them directly. It also includes features that allow the practice team to flag patients in vulnerable categories. Once the flag is entered into the system, babblevoice recognizes the category as soon as the patient calls and can handle their call via a different path.
For example, care home residents can be automatically placed at the front of the queue to allow them to speak directly to receptionists; patients who do not speak English can be referred to translators; patients accessing prescribing social services are referred to specialist liaison officers.
Using AI technology, babblevoice will soon be able to take a step closer to including non-English speaking patients. Our engineers are in the further development phase aimed at enabling instant translation service. The surgeon and patient will be able to speak to each other on the phone in different languages, with the phone system translating their speech in real time.
The power of human connection
In an era where healthcare is increasingly digitalized and transactional, the human connection facilitated by telephony remains invaluable. By embracing phone accessibility, primary care practices can eliminate barriers and ensure no patient is left behind by the digital age.
The surgical phone can act as a champion for healthcare inclusion. By harnessing the power of this transformative tool, primary care practices can bridge the digital divide, strengthen meaningful connections, and deliver patient-centered care to all.
For more information on how babblevoice can support digital inclusivity for your surgery, contact us at info@babblevoice.com
For more information on broader support for digital inclusion surgeries, read these best tips from the Good Things Foundation.
Babblevoice is an alumni of the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator program.
THE DigitalHealth.London Accelerator is a collaborative program funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Health Innovation Network South London, Office of Life Sciences, CW+, Mayor of London and the Leveling Up Fund.
