Successful experiences with outpatient video appointments

Medical advancements make it possible to have follow-ups over video

It was only a few years ago that the rheumatology department had 24 hospital beds for patients who often had to be checked in for several days in a row. These days, patients don’t need to be hospitalized for treatment, they can just come in for day visits.

“There has been tremendous medical development in this field. It has allowed us to use new tools,” says section leader and nurse Kristin Erlingsdatter of the rheumatology department at Østfold Hospital, Moss, in an interview on the hospital's website.

“The first appointment with a specialist happens at the hospital, and often begins with drug treatment. Thereafter, patients come in for check-ups, usually with both doctor and nurse. In many cases, these check-ups can be done over video,” says rheumatology department chair Randi Olofsson in the same interview.

Both patients and healthcare providers are happy with Confrere

Confrere was used as the video solution in a pilot project by Østfold Hospital. The results were presented at a professional development day about video consultations at Sunnaas Hospital on October 16, 2019.

After each appointment, both patient and practitioner evaluated the Confere video solution.

Evaluation after the consultations, on a scale of 1-5. 17 consultations were conducted.

“The video solution ‘Confrere’ is well-suited to this use case. The conversations are encrypted, it’s not possible to record the conversations, and none of the patient data is stored. The patient should feel confident that this is a secure and safe solution,” says project leader Heidi Halvåg in the ICT department on the hospital’s website.

Confrere is approved by hospital regulations and works well in practice.

“The user-friendliness is really good, not least for the patients. The great thing about Confrere is that they take into account how the appointments work in-person, and they have a nice approach to functionality and usability,” says Helvåg in the wake of the project.

Dr. Kristoffer Simensen (left) and head doctor Nenad Damjanic, rheumatology department, are aided by projected leader Heidi Halvåg in getting familiar with the user-manual in preparation for testing. Photo: Sykehuset Østfold