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Blog – First -line care has been the foundation of our health care for decades. Here patients find a first listening ear and they receive guidance to the right care. This foundation is under pressure. Waiting times are rising, practices are struggling with staff shortages and caregivers feel the increasing workload. If we do nothing, first -line care threatens to get stuck. The solution? Innovation, with hybrid care and digital care as gamechanger.
The E-HealthMonitor 2023 shows that hybrid care, a combination of physical and digital (self) care, offers a real answer to the aforementioned challenges. Yet the potential of this is insufficiently used. Why is hybrid care crucial, what are the practical benefits and how do we ensure future -proof primary care?
Tangible
Hybrid care sounds abstract, but the benefits are concrete and tangible. As an example a 67-year-old female patient with diabetes. Thanks to telemonitoring, she only has to come to the practice once a year. At home she simply measures her values that are shared directly with her doctor. The result? Fewer physical checks, more control for the patient, and more time for the doctor to focus on other care tasks and questions
At the doctor and care group we are working on a future in which half of the care for chronic patients is digitally runs digitally within five years. This hybrid model, which combines the best of digital and physical care, offers balance: physical care remains available where necessary, while digital tools handle simple care questions and reduce administrative pressure. This offers patients faster access, better overview and care providers more room for complex cases.
False
Although the benefits are clear, the e-health monitor shows that a tight third of the general practitioners uses telemonitoring. Many patients remain unknown with digital tools such as personal health environments (PGOs) or are reluctant. In addition, healthcare providers with technical obstacles, such as the integration of digital systems with existing care processes, and a lack of trust in new technologies. Concerns about privacy and data security also play an important role in the acceptance of digital care. So more is needed than just technological innovations: we also have to invest in trust and transparency.
Three pillars
- Smart use of hybrid care and AI
By using digital care in a targeted manner, simple questions can be handled faster. This gives healthcare providers more time for emergency and complex care. Arts and care shows that this is possible: with less pressure on physical office hours, accessibility for all patients is improved. This way, patients can be helped faster, which contributes to relieving the workload on general practices. Internal research shows that the use of hybrid care can greatly lower the pressure on general practitioners and doctor’s assistants because three quarters of care questions can be answered online. A striking example of this is the implementation of an AI complaints checker, which enables patients to introduce their symptoms and to get direct advice about the urgency and possible follow-up steps. In practice, this means that a patient with sore throat, for example, does not have to make a physical appointment unnecessarily, but is referred to self-care advice or e-consultation through this checker. This not only works a more efficient triage in hand, but also offers healthcare providers more time to focus on patients who really need direct attention.
- Training and support for healthcare providers
Healthcare providers must trust and use technology effectively. This requires training in digital skills and user -friendly systems that lower work pressure instead of increasing. At the Arts and Zorg Group we develop targeted training and tools together with partners that match the needs of care providers. Work is also being done on improving the technical infrastructure, so that care providers can use more confidence digital care.
- Bring patients in the change
Trust and convenience are essential for patients. Clear communication and guidance with digital tools, such as PGOs, can help them experience the benefits of hybrid care. Consider customized introductions and accessible support. In addition, patients must be well informed about the privacy and security measures that are taken when using digital care. This helps them make the step to digital care easier.
Joint effort
Hybrid care is not a goal in itself, but a means to maintain the power of primary care. It requires a joint effort from care providers, policy makers and technology developers. Let us now invest in smart solutions that make the care future -proof. In this way we build a care system that not only becomes more accessible, but is also sustainable in the light of future challenges.
At the doctor and care group we have a clear dot on the horizon: within five years we want at least half of chronic care to be digitally, supported by a hybrid model that guarantees quality and accessibility. But we can’t do this alone. Other healthcare institutions, policy makers and technology developers must also join forces to increase the impact of hybrid care. Together we can make this vision reality and build a future in which care always stays close, physically and digitally.
Paulus Lips is a general practitioner and director at the doctor and care group
