Question….Can a simple Text Message help the NHS?
Answer…. A resounding YES!
Now doctors, healthcare workers and administrators can employ SMS technology to improve healthcare services for patients and relieve their workload at the same time. Because SMS messages are targeted messages they can provide an excellent method of promoting health campaigns (for example, giving up smoking, and dietary updates), and notifications (e.g. appointment reminders), and of course sending personal health updates and medical information. Because SMS messages are sent to the specific individual they ensure direct and discreet messaging – important when relaying health updates or intricate medical instructions. The recipient can also refer back to their text messages where a phone call in this instance wouldn’t be sufficient. Of course SMS messages can be read at any time and any place, consequently they will never be as intrusive as a telephone call. Therefore SMS is a perfect means of effective communication for all healthcare organisations. Further SMS benefits in this area are outlined below.
SMS Benefits for Healthcare:
| Problem | TextAnywhere Solution | Benefits |
| Patients miss appointments | Send SMS notifications 1-2 days before the appointment | No more stoppage delays – more efficient process |
| Patients forget or skip annual check-ups | Send regular SMS notifications before the check-up date | Patients prefer to go to those doctors who care about them and send them reminders |
| Quick and accurate notification of test results | Communicate results of diagnostic tests in SMS | It eases the workload of the staff. Plus the recipient has confidential information about their health and a detailed record should they need to refer to at a later date |
| Communication with field workers | An SMS message can updated them without the intrusion of a phone call | This solution improve communication flow and ensure safety for workers |
| Long wait times at the Surgery/Clinic | With a simple SMS patients can be notified of waiting times | Happier patients, more relaxed workers |
| Health organisations have to keep colleagues and patients informed | Use of SMS technology is the ideal medium to communicate with both patients and colleagues | Improved communication flow throughout |
How SMS can assist:
| ✔ | Reduce missed appointment rates |
| ✔ | Help patients to remember to take their medication |
| ✔ | Improve patient communication – e.g. Test Results |
| ✔ | Promotion of Health Campaigns with embedded links and contact numbers |
| ✔ | Sending motivation SMS’s – e.g. Weight Loss / Stop Smoking |
| ✔ | Dedicated Text Back numbers to advertise Health Campaigns |
| ✔ | (Or just so patients know who the message is from) |
| ✔ | Increase Surgery/Clinic efficiency |
Through the implementation of SMS technology into your communication strategy, healthcare organisations gain a number of advantages. The TextAnywhere Developer Toolkit with industry standard APIs provide IT Departments with the ability to integrate an automated text-messaging capability in to both existing and future applications or websites. Our Developer Centre will provide you with the resources you need to help you easily and swiftly integrate text messaging in to your application or web site. We have detailed information on the APIs we provide, as well as code samples, Service Test functions, and access to assistance. Click here to visit the Developer Centre.
You may also want to take look our TextEmail service. You can quickly and easily send SMS text messages from any email application to any mobile phone through our email-to-SMS gateway, and receive replies and delivery confirmations by return. We offer two different email-to-SMS services – a service for any email system, and a service specifically for Microsoft Outlook OMS. With both services you just pay for the messages that you send.
Contact Us: Our friendly Customer Service Team are here to help should you need any further information or assistance so please do get in touch. Tel 08451 221 302 or you can email us at [email protected]. We have a Support Team who can assist too with any API / Text Gateway related questions too, they can be reached on the same contact details above. Just simply speak to the Support Team.