Turku University Hospital's Psychiatric Unit uses Buddy Healthcare's care coordination platform

In October 2020, Turku University Hospital's (Tyks) Psychiatric Neuromodulation Unit started using Buddy Healthcare's care coordination platform for digital patient engagement, automated patient support, and data collection. Patients receive all care-related information, instructions, reminders, and maintenance treatment through the patient engagement mobile application. While patients are engaged digitally, the care personnel receive patients' pre-questionnaires and other forms, such as BDI and BAI questionnaires, to their dashboard and can monitor their progress remotely.

Digital Patient Engagement for Psychiatric Neuromodulation Unit's Patients

Four different psychiatric care pathways have been created for the psychiatric neuromodulation unit.

• tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique used to treat various psychiatric and neurophysiological conditions. Patients assigned to the digital care pathway receive information about tDCS, contraindications, instructions on preparing for hospital visits, and reminders when and where to arrive at their appointment. After the brain stimulation, patients' treatments are maintained and monitored through automated Beck Depression (BDI) questionnaires and patient-reported experience questionnaires.
  
  
• ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy) is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures in the brain are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders. Patients participating in ECT therapy can now receive care-related pre-therapy information through the app and fill out and submit the pre-assessment forms digitally at home or on the go.
  
  
• rTMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. This rTMS care pathway includes digital format pre-assessment and RMT assessment, specific care-related instructions related to fasting, washing hair, taking medication, and removing metal or magnetic-sensitive objects before the procedure. rTMS therapy involves a series of treatment sessions, and the Platform automatically instructs and reminds patients before and after each session.
  
  
• Ketamine Infusion Therapy has been incorporated into the treatment of different psychiatric disorders, such as depression. The Ketamine Infusion Therapy care pathway supports patients in preparation for the infusion therapy session and reminds them when and where to arrive.

The neuromodulation unit aims to reduce phone calls, SMS messages and letters through automated care coordination

Previously, Turku University Hospital's neuromodulation unit guided patients by phone calls, letters, or text messages. With the help of the BuddyCare Platform, the hospital aims to automate and digitise its communication and increase digital patient engagement. The Platform automatically collects pre-assessment forms and questionnaires. It provides the data to the care personnel without the personnel having to make phone calls, process paper mailings, or send text messages. Automated care pathways and streamlined processes are expected to save care personnel time for other tasks.

Antti Apostol, who works as a Project Manager of digitalisation (Psychiatry) at Turku University Hospital, commented on the project deployment,

"Buddy Healthcare's solution fits well with our psychiatry unit's plans to utilise digital patient guidance and education services as a part of the care process. One of the critical factors in ensuring how well the digital service will fit into different units' daily work is to provide the teams with the freedom to use creativity when producing digital content. In that way, the care team also feels that digital services support their daily work in the best possible way.

Antti Lehti, the Neuromodulation Unit's Head Nurse, has done a fantastic job with his team in content production for the first care pathways. His team's work is an excellent example of scaling digital services to other care units.

In the administration of psychiatry, we look forward to receiving feedback from both patients and care teams, because in addition to the various ongoing system integrations, our development work also requires end-users' active and careful listening."

Markus Lind, Chief Sales Officer of Buddy Healthcare, stated that,

"Previously, our Platform has mainly been used to support patients and clinics in digital patient engagement and care coordination automation before and after procedures. Now, some of these neuromodulation care pathway patients can be in maintenance treatment or therapy for up to one year. This is also something new for us as a company, to be working with care pathways of that length of time.”

We at Buddy Healthcare are excited about our collaboration with Turku University Hospital's neuromodulation unit.