20220128 Februari Quin Blog Optie2 Web Final (1)

‘Do you have a minute, doctor?’
How technology can help to keep general practitioner care accessible.

General practitioners bear heavy workloads. In fact, seventy-four per cent is even experiencing excessive workloads^[1]. This has consequences for all of us. Perhaps you recall the full waiting rooms during walk-in consultation hours? Or maybe you have had to wait longer to see your doctor when your symptoms are not urgent? At Quin, we want to keep healthcare accessible—both now and in the future. That is why we work every day on solutions which make healthcare smarter and more effective for you and your GP.

Solutions for now and later

GPs already work hard, and the demand for healthcare will only continue to rise in the coming years. The accessibility of healthcare is increasingly coming under pressure due to the ageing population and a growing shortage of GPs. How can we future-proof general practitioner care? Digitalisation is one of the solutions.

Digital tools enable GPs to work more efficiently and reduce their workload, creating more space for person-oriented healthcare when needed or desired. Thanks to online tools, patients have greater insight into and control over their healthcare process. For example, you can opt for advice or remote healthcare so that you do not have to physically come to the practice.

Digital doctor's advice?

A Netherlands Patient Federation survey^[2] has shown that eighty-six per cent of the population would be open to digital consultations with their GPs. This is not surprising: digital consultations are more accessible and can be done in your own, familiar surroundings.

Asking questions and sharing photos online with the doctor is also growing in popularity. This not only gives you more control as a patient, but it also saves you a lot of valuable time. The same applies to your GP: they can organise their time better this way, which brings peace and quiet to the practice.

Future-proof GP care

Healthcare is steadily taking on more hybrid forms, in which offline and online healthcare are combined. Physical where necessary, digital where possible. This means that you can opt for a wider range of digital solutions as a patient. We at Quin are dedicated to creating the right blend of coherent, digital solutions, and it is what we do every day. Some healthcare matters can easily be arranged online, such as requesting repeat prescriptions or viewing laboratory results.

Not sure whether you should see a doctor? With online tools such as our symptom checker, you answer questions about your symptoms. You are then told whether you need to see a doctor and whether it is an urgent matter. Sometimes, you can alleviate your symptoms with self-care. Quin can then provide you with medical articles in which your symptoms and the related medical advice are elaborated upon. In this way, Quin supports both you and your GP throughout the entire healthcare process: from complaint to diagnosis and from treatment to aftercare.

Healthcare technology that works for you

Ultimately, it is all about making sure that healthcare innovations are valuable, reliable and safe. At Quin, we develop our tools together with the people who use them: patients, general practitioners and medical specialists. We consciously opt for a co-creation process in order to check whether functionalities are truly applicable for those who will be using them. Then, we develop our healthcare solutions in practice. We carry out tests, run pilots and evaluate the functionalities with patients, GPs and medical specialists. Finally, safety is viewed as essential, especially when it concerns your health. Quin’s online platform complies with both laws and regulations as well as medical standards. In this way, you can safely view and manage your healthcare.

Accessible, qualitative and person-oriented care

At Quin, we want to arrange healthcare in a way that benefits everyone. Our digital healthcare platform can contribute to this. As a patient, you always have access to your healthcare affairs with Quin. You can arrange care yourself, for example, by scheduling appointments and asking questions online. At the same time, your general practitioner can maintain an overview of your medical process.

Digitalisation also enables closer cooperation with other healthcare professionals. If medical specialists can offer support from a distance (digitally, by telephone or video consultation), patients do not always have to be referred to the hospital. That is much more pleasant for many people. You get advice from a specialist, but you do not have to go to a hospital.

The Patient Federation^[3] has concluded that general practitioners also benefit from this. There is less duplication of effort, which means the healthcare process runs more smoothly. The chance of additional paperwork, unnecessary examinations and double diagnoses decreases. Moreover, your GP learns from the expertise of the specialist, and as a result, certain symptoms in subsequent patients may be recognised more quickly. In this way, Quin’s digital tools not only make healthcare accessible, but also improve its quality and personalise it.

Would you like to get started with Quin’s tools? Then download the app for free. If you would like full access to everything the app has to offer, your doctor will need to use the Quin platform. Ask your doctor about this.

February 2022

^[1] ‘Huisartsen met handen in het haar om bezetting rond te krijgen’, www.lhv.nl

^[2] ‘Rapport huisartsenzorg’, www.patientenfederatie.nl