- MuleSoft reveals results of study looking at the quality and consistency of consumer experiences citizens receive with regards to healthcare
- Almost half (44%) of Brits claim that they, or someone they know, has experienced delays in care due information not being shared between healthcare professionals
- The findings highlight the need for improved information sharing across the NHS, from GPs to pharmacists to consultants at NHS trusts
- Just half (23%) of respondents consider healthcare services to be connected, highlighting room for improvement if the NHS is to deliver greater operational efficiency and an improved level of patient care
MuleSoft today revealed research that shows almost half (44%) of UK citizens say they, or someone they know, has experienced delays in care due to information not being shared between healthcare professionals.
The Connected Consumer Report 2017, which looks at the quality and consistency of consumer experiences across different industry sectors, found that only 23% of UK citizens think healthcare services are connected.
Siloed data across multiple systems is preventing healthcare professionals from accessing and sharing information effectively
The findings highlight the need for improved information sharing across the NHS, from GPs and pharmacists to consultants at NHS trusts.
“Siloed data across multiple systems is preventing healthcare professionals from accessing and sharing information effectively”, said Guy Murphy, industry technology evangelist at MuleSoft
“This is leading to operational inefficiency and risks to patient care.
“The delays in patient care highlighted in the report show how severe the impact of disconnected data and systems can be.
“For example, operations can be cancelled due to patient notes being inaccessible, patients can experience delays in getting test results as systems aren’t connected, and clinicians may not be able to get a full picture of the care a patient is receiving.
“However, these issues are avoidable by integrating the patient data across applications and systems.
“By focusing on creating a connected patient experience, the healthcare sector can significantly improve efficiency of care and deliver better outcomes.”
The delays in patient care highlighted in the report show how severe the impact of disconnected data and systems can be
The research reveals that more than half of citizens (58%) think that public services overall provide a disconnected experience, which was the worst of all the sectors surveyed in the report.
While public services are being digitally transformed, from taxation through to refuse collection; only 14% of UK citizens currently think that local government services are connected; and just 11% think the same of central government services.
When looking at the factors that contribute towards a disconnected consumer experience, the research revealed:
- 61% of UK respondents didn’t think that public services provided a personalised service, despite the large amount of citizen data they capture. Again, public services fared far worse than other industry sectors, such as banking (37%), retail (54%), and insurance (55%)
- More than half (51%) of UK citizens expressed their frustrations with having to re-input or re-submit personal information that had previously been provided to public service organisations
- The speed at which public services respond to online and offline requests for information is another area of frustration for many people. More than a third (34%) of UK citizens who have submitted a query or request for information found it could not be answered, or took longer than anticipated, because the public services staff did not have access to all the information they needed
- The final frustration explored was the number of people who were unable to interact with public service organisations in a way that suits them. A fifth (20%) of people have given up on an activity or request because sharing information with a public services organisation was too difficult
“We are seeing a growing number of public services move online, driven by the need to reduce costs while improving the citizen experience,” said Murphy.
“Yet the pace of change and the overall citizen experience greatly differs from department to department and region to region, due to data sitting in silos.
“Clearly, there is still work to be done to make these digital experiences effective.
Ultimately it will be those departments that successfully connect their applications, data and devices that will be able to deliver innovative services of real benefit to citizens
“The challenge for many public services organisations is to bring multiple technologies and data together to create a cohesive citizen experience.
“This is no small undertaking for a sector mired with legacy technology and processes.
“Ultimately it will be those departments that successfully connect their applications, data and devices that will be able to deliver innovative services of real benefit to citizens.”
