Digital technology Resources

A service invests in a digital solution. The training is rolled out, log-ins are issued, and the dashboards look impressive. Six months later, the reality bites: project managers have come and gone, clinicians are struggling to juggle the programme with day-to-day pressures, and the executive team are waiting for ‘the app to show impact’.

Use of technological-based solutions for healthcare specialities has become favourable worldwide and, in the author’s opinion, digital healthcare is revolutionising the medical arena.

Here, Ellie Lindsay OBE explores why, with the increased use of virtual technology in health care, good communication skills are more vital than ever to ensure person-centred, holistic care.

The evolution of technology and electronic devices, such as smart phones, has greatly influenced the way we communicate today, improving the speed and ease of reaching out to others. But, the downside of the speed of, for example, a text messaging service, may be that individuals are no longer taking the time to converse in person and to be truly present — in mind and body.

The recent pandemic has highlighted the impact of social isolation on health. District and community nurses are in daily contact with vulnerable, elderly clients for whom the norm is a world with little social contact. This compounds the health inequalities affecting this population. District and community nurses require support to meet the psychological and social needs of these clients. In order to improve the health of older people with long-term conditions, joint action between agencies, voluntary groups and charities is imperative. Inclusive and creative evidence-based interventions could be the public health solution to the emerging crisis in the psychological health of elderly clients with chronic conditions.