BeeHealthy Unpacked: Digital care plans for better remote patient support 

How can digital tools revolutionise remote patient care and care continuity, ensuring that patients feel supported beyond traditional appointments? 

Digital tools in patient care play a crucial role in supporting patients beyond the confines of traditional doctor appointments. Empowering patients with tools to stay active, informed, and engaged in their own health enhances care continuity and can ultimately lead to better patient outcomes. Remote patient empowerment is at the heart of our mission – helping care providers to deliver smarter care and enhance patient journeys. 

A compelling example of patient empowerment comes from public Wellbeing Services County of North Karelia in Finland, Siun sote, who just recently launched digital care plans for their surgical patients. The care plans, powered by the BeeHealthy platform, support the surgical treatment process for 5,000–6,000 patients annually. 

Patients who have been scheduled for surgery can access the digital care plan through the Siun sote application, where they can view preparation instructions, up-to-date information, and timing of the surgery, as well as easily contact their care team throughout the entire care process. 

This approach has enhanced communication between patients and the professionals involved in the care, ensuring patients are well-prepared for surgery while allowing professionals to efficiently share information and monitor treatment progress. 

Based on patient feedback, the care plan has been found useful, and interaction through the application is perceived as smooth. Patients appreciate that the content of the care plan presents a cohesive overview with all necessary information conveniently accessible in one place, and patients feel well-prepared for surgery. 

Digital care plans: A key to remote patient empowerment 

Care plans is one of the modules offered by the BeeHealthy patient engagement platform, developed for social and healthcare service providers to offer engaging digital programmes and enhance interaction between the patient and their care team.

Care plans guide patients with a possibility to include support from their dedicated care team, whom they can easily contact via chat in the care plan for any questions. Care plans can be created for various care instances, such as preventive care, social care services, follow-up after injury or illness, treatment for chronic illnesses, support during life changes, such as pregnancy or quitting smoking, and pre- or post-surgery guidance, as demonstrated by Siun sote’s implementation. They provide patients with a clear roadmap of their healthcare journey, with all relevant information and instructions easily accessible in a digital format. 

Care plans can include various tasks and reminders for the patient, such as measuring and recording blood pressure. They may also involve remote monitoring tasks, like tracking weight or logging pregnancy symptoms. Additionally, patients can mark content as read, allowing them and their care team to track their own progress.  

Care plans can include various tasks and reminders for the patient, such as measuring and recording blood pressure. They may also involve remote monitoring tasks, like tracking weight or logging pregnancy symptoms. Additionally, patients can mark content as read, allowing them to track their own progress. 

These features keep patients informed and engaged, empowering them to take an active role in their care and gain greater control over their health. With a single digital entry point for all care plans, patients can easily navigate and manage their health, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. 

But what are the advantages care plans bring to care providers? 

Improving efficiency and patient management

BeeHealthy’s care plans offer professionals a streamlined approach to patient management, to create consistent content and care process, and monitor patient progress between appointments. The module also facilitates seamless communication between the care team and the patient. 

In the BeeHealthy platform, the care plans module includes a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool for initiating and tracking treatment as well as supporting patients on their care plan journey. Admin users have great flexibility in creating care plans and planning content tailored to different treatment processes. Professionals can attach diverse content types, such as text, images, and videos, to care plans, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive information related to their treatment. Other modules of the BeeHealthy platform, such as Digital clinic, Online booking, and Surveys, can be integrated into a care plan, making it a more comprehensive tool for managing additional aspects of patient care. 

Professionals can assign care teams to monitor patient progress, which facilitates efficiency and a collaborative approach to care delivery. With reducing repetitive tasks and improving efficiency, the tool allows professionals to focus more on what truly matters – delivering high-quality patient care, leading to better outcomes and job satisfaction. 

Each care plan can be defined as either a self-care plan or not. Self-care plans are visible in the patient application, allowing patients to start or purchase them independently, often for lifestyle changes like exercising more or quitting smoking. Alternatively, a care plan can be initiated by a professional, after which it becomes visible in the patient application. 

The professional can also determine whether all content of the care plan is visible at once or released gradually, such as weekly, presenting new content to the patient each week. This is typical for care plans related to pregnancy or surgery preparation, for example. 

Driving better patient engagement and care efficiency

To sum everything up, remote tools like digital care plans, that are a front door to their treatment journey, engage patients in their care journey and make them feel more empowered and supported, which can lead to better patient outcomes. Similarly, streamlined patient management tools help healthcare professionals deliver consistent, high-quality care more efficiently, leading to better patient outcomes without sacrificing quality.

While technology cannot replace the human touch in healthcare, it can enhance communication, provide clarity, and help patients feel more supported throughout their care journey.

If you’re keen on seeing care plans in action, request your demo today.