The healthcare industry has experienced a significant shift in the way it delivers care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to reduce exposure and maintain social distancing led to the adoption of remote monitoring and telehealth solutions. This shift has accelerated the growth of cloud-based solutions, which are projected to increase by 43% by 2025.
Google, a company known for its innovative solutions, has developed several healthcare products and services to help healthcare providers and patients alike. These products range from collaboration tools to clinically validated assessments and can benefit healthcare providers in several ways.
One significant advantage of Google for healthcare providers is the ability to improve patient outcomes through collaboration tools. Google Workspace for Healthcare and Life Sciences provides healthcare teams with tools that enable real-time communication and information sharing across multiple devices. With built-in controls that support compliance with HIPAA, healthcare providers can securely access patient information from anywhere.
Google Drive is a particularly useful tool that enables healthcare workers to store, synch, and share patient files. In a hospital setting where patients may interact with multiple providers, this collaboration helps lead to better outcomes, lower costs, and fewer re-admissions.
Google Workspace also includes a range of health applications designed to meet industry-specific needs. Google Keep, for example, is a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant note-taking application that supports sharing across multiple devices. Google Meet, on the other hand, is a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing and telehealth appointment application with higher security standards than Google Hangouts.
Another significant benefit of Google for healthcare providers is the ability to streamline healthcare data and enhance care delivery. Poorly designed electronic health records (EHRs) can lead to clinician stress and burnout. Care Studio, a clinician-facing search tool, helps declutter and streamline healthcare data, allowing clinicians to spend more time caring for patients and less time navigating EHRs.
Care Studio sorts data by date, ensuring that the most recent vitals, labs, and notes appear at the top of search results. By leveraging Google’s powerful search function for healthcare providers, Care Studio enables clinicians to search for terms based on clinical shorthand and medical terminology to find health record information quickly.
Finally, Google can increase access to mental health resources with clinically validated assessments. Mental health is a significant concern, with 21% of adults experiencing some type of mental illness in 2020. Online tools, such as self-assessments, can be a quick and easy way to determine whether an individual is experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder.
Google has developed several clinically validated assessments that healthcare providers can use to screen patients for mental health conditions. These assessments can help identify mental health disorders early on, allowing for earlier interventions and better outcomes.
Takeaway
It is evident that Google provides a multitude of advantages to healthcare providers, empowering them to deliver better healthcare services. With its powerful collaboration tools, healthcare providers can efficiently work together to improve patient outcomes, enabling the exchange of critical information and better decision-making. Additionally, Google’s streamlined healthcare data system facilitates accurate, secure, and easy-to-access data storage and retrieval, helping healthcare providers to make informed decisions promptly.
Moreover, the increased access to mental health resources offered by Google is a significant advantage, particularly in today’s world where mental health concerns are on the rise. Google provides resources such as apps, online support groups, and virtual therapy sessions that can significantly enhance the mental well-being of healthcare providers and their patients alike. By prioritizing the mental health of healthcare providers, they can better care for their patients, leading to more positive outcomes and a healthier population.
Therefore, it is clear that leveraging Google’s suite of tools can help healthcare providers work more efficiently, enhance care delivery, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. By adopting these innovative tools, healthcare providers can also reduce clinician burnout and improve their work-life balance. With such benefits, it is no wonder that Google is rapidly becoming an indispensable resource for healthcare providers around the world.
