Thursday, March 15, 2012

How can low cost SMS' be used effectively by clinics and hospitals

Nowadays most people consider SMS's as the most convenient form of keeping in touch with the people around them. It is no surprise then that the simple SMS has been found to be the most liked feature on mobile phones. An affordable option for keeping in touch, using SMS's can help healthcare immensely.

Some simple ways by which use of SMS's helps clinics and hospitals provide better patient care:

- Reminding Patients regarding Appointments and Lab Tests.
- Infant immunization alerts for parents
- Blood donor information and alerts
- Diet and Exercise Alerts to ensure adherence for Patients
- Health Insurance claims update
- Messages to wish discharged patients
- Instant provision of information 24/7 via a 2 way SMS service

By using SMS Messaging effectively, clinics and hospitals can also improve internal productivity and tighten their internal workflows. Ways in which SMS Messaging helps the Internal Productivity of clinics and hospitals:

- Daily provision of Stock related information and special alerts on insufficient stock of items allows store managers and pharmacies to keep on top of their inventory
- Alert Messages to inform Technicians of maintenance Schedules
- Regular Shift wise schedules to staff
- Daily Message with Summary of financials to management staff
- Instant message to duty staff in case of emergencies
- Message to confirm appointment with a Doctors, Radiologists, Pathologists and Dentists
- End of day consultation summary
- Reminders for Regulatory Reports like PNDT