More and more healthcare institutions are forced to work more efficiently and effectively on a tighter budget, whilst quality requirements are increasing. In addition, almost every institution in the healthcare sector suffers from the problem that patients don’t always show up for an appointment, also called the ‘no-show problem’. How do hospitals deal with this challenge nowadays?
SMS in healthcare
More and more healthcare institutions are actively working to minimise the no-show problem in order to prevent a waste in healthcare. SMS has proven to be the right solution to optimise business processes.
Appointment reminders
Firstly, research has shown that SMS appointment reminders minimise the no-show by at least 60%. SMS also increases the occupancy rate of treatment rooms, doctors and other staff and minimises waiting times and waiting lists.
Taking or collecting medication
Research has also shown that patients who receive an SMS reminder to take their medicine are in 16% of the cases more accurate about taking their medication. This makes the intake pattern of the patient more consistent, which is essential for certain medicines. In addition, many pharmacists send out SMS notifications with information regarding a repeat prescription that can be collected.
Log in to a secure environment
Many healthcare institutions also use authentication by SMS. This improves security and privacy because staff must log in with a verification code via SMS. Staff can therefore always have access to confidential information at any desired location.
Communicating with employees
Furthermore, SMS is a very suitable medium for internal communication with employees. Just think of SMS messages to inform employees of vacancies in work schedules. It is also possible to communicate with employees. By using of a Virtual Mobile Number the employee can reply to the SMS message.
Send SMS alerts for calamities or in emergency situations
Finally, healthcare institutions can use alerts per SMS to communicate with a specific group of people in urgent situations. Sending bulk SMS for alerts is a very simple method and within a few seconds a entire group of people is alerted.
Research has shown that 98% of all SMS messages are opened and read within 5 minutes. Additionally, the costs of an SMS are extremely low compared to traditional media, such as a telephone call.
Would you like to receive more information or would you like our advice? We are happy to assist you to make your organisation more effective and more efficient.
Contact us at +31 (0) 20 770 3005 or send an e-mail to info@spryng.nl. The support team is available 24/7!
