By Stevie Smith Jul 24, 2007, 15:48 GMT
Using the telephone to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the local doctor can often be an exercise in frustration for prospective patients, and it can also cause problems for the surgery too, especially regarding missed appointments.
However, if a national pilot scheme being launched across the UK proves to be successful, patients will soon be making their GP (general practitioner) appointments through their television sets and mobile phone handsets.
A BBC news article reports that initial trials carried out in South Yorkshire revealed a marked reduction in the amount of missed appointments, with patients able to easily make, alter, and cancel their desired appointment interactively. Planned future extensions to the service will see the introduction of patients given access to health information and the ordering of repeat prescriptions.
More than 1,100 separate surgeries could now be open to offering the service, which is instantly accessible to patients (equipped with digital TV) by simply selecting the interactive button on their TV remotes and selecting the Looking Local portal available through Sky, cable, or Freeview. Patients wishing to utilise the service via WAP-enabled mobile phone handsets will be charged to do so according to the rates laid down by their individual carriers.
The password-controlled TV system works by allowing patients to access information provided by their doctor’s receptionist that is identical to the appointment schedule used whenever a patient physically creates an appointment on a walkthrough or telephones the surgery.
"Thousands more people across the UK will now be able to enjoy the convenience of booking a doctor's appointment via digital television - at the touch of a button," enthused Sean Riddell, healthcare managing director of EMIS, the interactive service’s creator. "As well as improving access to healthcare for patients, this unique service also saves valuable time and money for busy surgeries."
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