Innovative internet services working for patients

Patients attending Auckland District Health Board’s hospitals, clinics and community services will now be able to arrive armed not only with information on what they can expect to happen to them when they get there, they will know where to park, what they need to bring and will have information on the people they will be seeing.
For example, a patient attending a gastroscopy clinic, will know how long it will take, what they need to eat and what their recovery process will be. This is part of the focus on making the patient the centre of the hospital process.

www.healthpoint.co.nz is a website providing many of the answers to questions patients may have about what to expect when referred to a specialist or hospital. Patients, caregivers and medical professionals such as GPs have quick access to information that will help in decision making and lead to greater transparency in the processes for patients – for example information about treatments and procedures, waiting times, parking, transport, links to support groups, and information on consultants who work in each service.

ADHB joins Counties Manukau DHB on the service, which will now roll out to other DHBs around the country.

ADHB Health Information Service Manager Sue Harvey says that Healthpoint offers patients and General Practitioners an effective way to get specific service and hospital information.

“From the hospital perspective the information on www.healthpoint.co.nz is easy to edit and customize. Clinicians and administrators have direct access to the site to add and edit information they believe will help both patients and those referring to their service. This means the information is straight from the trusted source so patients and referrers know it is accurate.

“We believe increasing patients’ access to information will ensure they are better prepared, leading to better healthcare outcomes,” Sue Harvey said.

Healthpoint began operations in November 2004. Managing Director Kate Rhind says the site also has information on over 700 specialists in private practice and private hospitals in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin including Southern Cross, Mercy Ascot Hospitals and Mercy Hospital Dunedin.

“The website is growing daily, and Healthpoint believes New Zealand is the first country in the world to offer such a comprehensive health information solution. The company recently won the ‘Excellence in the Use of IT in Health’ award in the Computerworld Excellence Awards,” Ms Rhind said.

Ends