In the coming weeks and months, the volume of COVID-19 tests will increase across various care settings, including hospitals, labs, and drive-through testing sites. Becker’s Hospital Review recently reported that six health systems – including Mayo Clinic, Geisinger and Stanford – are developing their own diagnostic tests in light of loosened restrictions by the FDA.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on CipherHealth's website.
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, quick communication of test results will be critical to minimizing the risk of community spread and assisting nationwide efforts to “flatten the curve”. Automation of test result communication also has an immediate impact on the ability of clinical staff to provide direct patient care, as it frees them up from making calls to deliver test results so that they can attend to patients’ bedside needs.
So while testing ramps up, new ways to quickly communicate these results along with crucial next step actions will be essential.
According to CipherHealth’s Chief Nursing Officer, Lisa Romano, MSN, RN:
“Hospitals need an efficient and scalable way to keep their resources focused on where they’re most needed – bedside care. As the number of patients in need of inpatient care surges, healthcare resources will be further strained. Reducing dependence on clinical staff to manually call patients with COVID-19 test results will be an essential strategy to avoid delays in communicating results that could negatively impact follow-up care.” Click here to continue>>
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