2008 Best use of ICT in patient and citizen involvement in healthcare

Winner

NHS Choices

New media sexual health initiative in the Humber region

NHS Choices teamed up with local PCTs, health professionals and volunteers from the Humber region to look at how new media and social marketing could be used to improve access, participation and outcomes in sexual health services. The target audience was disadvantaged 14-21 year olds. The campaign included the launch of a special microsite for the region with localised information about sexual health services, magazine-style web content on sexual health, the use of Bluetooth messaging to young people in risk areas such as nightclubs, text services and young volunteers recruited to promote the service. Sexual health services in Humber reported an increase in use of services and there was 10% increase in Chlamydia screening

Finalists

Renal Patient View - Renal Information Exchange Group

Renal Patient View gives patients online access to information from their renal patient records, effectively providing them with an electronic personal care plan. It has been developed by the renal community through a multidisciplinary group with strong patient representation. After pilots in 2005 Renal Patient View has been offered more widely, and now has over 7000 patients online in 33 units covering over half of the UK's renal patients, with continuing steady growth.

Patients include those on maintenance dialysis treatment, those with kidney transplants, and a large number in chronic disease management programmes to prevent them from developing renal failure requiring dialysis.

Pilot emergency contraception service - NHS Direct

NHS Direct, England's online and telephone-based healthcare information service, wanted to understand how it might integrate its existing multi-channel services with new digital technologies, particularly social networking websites and instant messaging. Emergency contraception was chosen for the pilot. The trial service was delivered by NHS Direct advisors who provided advice and information using Instant Messaging accessed through applets on: Bebo, Warwick University Health Centre website and parts of the NHS Direct website.

The users evaluated the service very highly, 94% describing the length of the chat as just about right, 85% found the advice easy to understand and 89% said they would follow the advice given. 96% said they would use a similar service in the future. The positive evaluation of this pilot will provide improved understanding and knowledge for future integrated multi-channel service development within NHS Direct.