Sep 26, 2024
Over the next few weeks, we will be releasing a series of blogs that will delve into the benefits and values that organizations can expect to see when implementing the right collaboration tool.
Anyone who is involved in the delivery of care knows how vital effective communication is and the positive impact it has on patient outcomes. In this blog, we will talk about the communication improvements that a healthcare organization can expect to see as a result of a successful collaboration solution being implemented in the workplace.
Collaboration: the action of working with someone to produce something
Communication: the imparting or exchanging of information
Communication: the foundation of collaboration
First and foremost, a collaboration tool has to bring real practical value and benefits to the team that is using it. Celo is an example of a collaboration tool designed to make the jobs of healthcare teams easier by having features designed to assist with specific healthcare-related tasks. For example, gaining instant consent within the app to take a photo, having the ability to attach the photo to a specific patient case, and share it with the right people within your workspace efficiently and securely. Our solution is built to increase team collaboration through a seamless and unified communication channel.
Ultimately, with the introduction of a collaboration solution, you will see immediate improvements in communication across your organization… We mean, you can really see the improvements using the Celo dashboard. Admin users can see the number of messages exchanged by teams, or by department and other stats such as average user engagement and the number of photos and documents exchanged. Imagine seeing how well your team is communicating and the organizational improvements you can make with these insights.
Another instant benefit of a unified collaboration tool is that it makes it easy for staff to find the right person to contact; this saves time and increases productivity. If you can find the right person to contact at the right time, you are more likely to complete a task quicker, rather than involving other people, filtering through contact details, switchboards, etc.
One more common challenge for organizations is being able to notify the entire workforce at once, yes you can send an email but you don't know how many people have received it, let alone read it. One of the key trends we saw during the pandemic is the importance of a “Broadcast” feature where company-wide updates were more common than ever. For example, if a COVID outbreak struck within the team, people could be instantly notified using the Broadcast feature. This way, the admins can see who received and read the message.
Lastly, your team communication must be HIPAA compliant. Texting, iMessage, and other consumer apps such as WhatsApp are so common in our day-to-day lives that it is not surprising these tools are being used within the workplace. But, in healthcare, these messaging solutions don't meet HIPAA standards for securely sharing Protected Health Information (PHI).
Why email or texting doesn't quite cut it as a collaboration solution in healthcare
While email communications can be used in a HIPAA-compliant manner, that doesn't mean it is practical for healthcare teams. One big problem with email is that it is not instant, and once you send an email you can’t be entirely sure it is delivered, and in most cases, you do not receive a read receipt.
This leads to teams using instant messaging solutions like consumer apps or texting and iMessage, but the issue is that they are not HIPAA-compliant. If your organization is tip-toeing between email as a HIPAA-compliant solution and texting as an instant communication channel, then it is probably time you introduce a HIPAA-compliant collaboration tool to protect your staff and organization.
Use our HIPAA self-assessment tool to check if you need to implement a HIPAA-compliant messaging solution in your organization.
