Assessment of the Virtual Ambulatory

A project at the Endocrinological Department assessed whether or not it will be possible in the future for patients to reduce physical consultations at the ambulatory and instead get information in a virtuel ambulatory.

AIM

The purpose of the project was to produce knowledge about the execution of virtual outpatient consultations for a select patient group; to assess the patients and staff’s experiences of the virtual consultations and the use of technology, as well as to assess whether or not virtual consultations can be used as a supplement to the traditional attendance.

The vision was that The Virtual Ambulatory should be demand-driven, so that the patients could book consultations on their own.

RESULTS

The Virtual Ambulatory was tested from January 2016 to July 2018 in both the Diabetes ambulatory, the Diabetes Clinic, the Thyroid ambulatory and the Osteoporosis ambulatory. 940 patients with metabolic disorders, osteoporosis and diabetes participated in the trial and 433 clinical video consultations were conducted.

The evaluation of the project showed major organisational challenges and technical problems, and no savings were generally seen. However, a reorganisation in the diabetes ambulatory with a reduced number of attendances was cost-effective. The patients saved time on transport, but there were differences in patient satisfaction between the ambulatories, and the conclusion was that video consultations are primarily suitable for patients with a limited problem scope and less suitable for longer and more complex chronic processes.

The use of video consultations in the department is on standby as of February 2019, as a new technological solution must be found rather than the one used in the project. Video consultations are expected to become a regular offer for select patient groups as soon as an appropriate technical solution has been found.

EXTERNAL FUNDING

The Agency for Digitisation funded the project.