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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Health Serv.
Sec. Implementation Science
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frhs.2024.1416386

Experience of a tertiary acute care hospital in Southeast Asia in initiating patient engagement with the aid of digital solutions

Provisionally accepted
Peijin Esther Monica Fan Peijin Esther Monica Fan 1Shu Hui Lim Shu Hui Lim 1*Guan Hua Jonathan Sim Guan Hua Jonathan Sim 2Poticar Mary Jane Seville Poticar Mary Jane Seville 2Wee Fang Kam Wee Fang Kam 3Yee Fenn Rena Leong Yee Fenn Rena Leong 3Xin Yi Selene Choy Xin Yi Selene Choy 3Lay Teng Ong Lay Teng Ong 3Xia Wang Xia Wang 4Soy Soy Lau Soy Soy Lau 4Gaik Nai Ng Gaik Nai Ng 1Tracy C. Ayre Tracy C. Ayre 5Shin Yuh Ang Shin Yuh Ang 1
  • 1 Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
  • 2 National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
  • 3 KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
  • 4 Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
  • 5 Singhealth Group Nursing, Singapore, Singapore

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: With the goal of patient engagement, an initiative was formulated to equip each patient in the general wards with a tablet whereby they can access their health information, patient education materials and communicate with their healthcare team. This paper presented the methodology of the implementation efforts as well as an evaluation of the preliminary outcomes. Methods: The process of hospital wide implementation was shared using the implementation research logic model. The bedside tablets were rolled out hospital wide in a step-wedge manner over 12 months. Barriers and facilitators to this implementation were discussed together with strategies to optimize the situation. Preliminary outcomes of the implementation were evaluated using the RE-AIM framework. Results: The initial adoption rate for the bedside tablet was low. Additional strategies such as survey audits and provision of feedback, development of education materials for patients, facilitation and purposefully re-examining the implementation strategies were used to improve adoption. Trend of adoption increased over the course of two years from the start of implementation. Discussion: The initial lower adoption rates may reflect Singapore’s paternalistic healthcare culture. While this implementation was driven by the need to move away from paternalism and towards patient engagement, more time is required for significant cultural change.

    Keywords: patient engagement, Technology, Patient Education, implementation, digital solutions

    Received: 12 Apr 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fan, Lim, Sim, Mary Jane Seville, Kam, Leong, Choy, Ong, Wang, Lau, Ng, Ayre and Ang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shu Hui Lim, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.