Avaya Releases Results of Healthcare Technology Outlook Survey

The results of the recently conducted Healthcare Technology Outlook survey have been released by Avaya. The survey was conducted by Avaya (News - Alert) at the 2011 HIMSS Conference and Exhibition in February. An announcement in this regard has been made by the top global company in business collaboration systems, software and services, Avaya Inc. An array of healthcare communications solutions are offered by Avaya. Unified communications and contact center technologies are incorporated by these solutions.

According to the survey, the key factor in driving efficient patient care is collaborative communications. Collaborative communications includes mobile communications, automated outreach, and technologies for driving workflows. 74 percent cited improved level of care and response to patients when asked about the expected results from technology investments. 67 percent of healthcare providers felt that the most beneficial value of mobile communications was improving patient care by improving response time to patients.

The top concern amongst healthcare tech professionals which prevented them from providing better patient care was the overextended staff. 32 percent of the professionals felt that too much time was spent by the staff in performing non-patient care. Other obstacles included "poor or lack of effective communication amongst staff," and "bottlenecks in patient flow."

In a release, Bruce Wallace, head of healthcare practice at Avaya said, "With these survey results, we're seeing concerns among healthcare technology professionals about staffing and time being spent away from patients, which greatly impacts patient care and efficiency. To address these challenges head-on, industry professionals are turning to communications solutions that drive faster and more productive collaboration, which makes all the difference in an industry where every second counts."

The most significant impact of video-based communications will be in the areas of Physician Consultations and Distance Telemedicine. Wallace added that an important new dimension to the healthcare industry is added by video. Collaboration for doctors, medical professionals and patients can be improved with video.



Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Calvin’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell