Nick Hawkins, MD, EMEA at Everbridge, elaborates how mass notification platforms, can be used to communicate directly with vulnerable people to reduce the flu death toll
The definition of a crisis can alter dramatically dependent on the stakeholders involved. The magnitude of a crisis in healthcare is unpredictable and can evolve quickly. Efficient management of an emergency can be the difference between life and death. What should healthcare communications professionals look for in an emergency notifications provider?
Healthcare professionals will seek a solution that prepares for the unexpected and helps to prevent the contamination of diseases prior to epidemic status. In India for example, the health ministry, reported 70 deaths from the dengue virus since January. Additionally, more than 14,650 cases of the chikungunya virus have been detected and more than 800,000 cases and 119 deaths from malaria.
A mass notifications solution helps communicate with vulnerable citizens and advise on best practice health guidelines.
Central to the success of critical communications platforms are two key functions. The first is the capability to deliver messages using a variety of different methods – known as multi-modal communications. This is particularly important in developing countries where smartphones and email may not be widely used. The second is effective two-way communication, which is the ability for recipients to respond to emergency notifications quickly and easily, acknowledge receipt and confirm actions or declare status.
Importance of multi-modality
No communications channel can ever be 100 per cent reliable 100 per cent of the time, so multi-modality transforms the speed at which people receive the message. Multi-modality facilitates communication via more than 100 different communication devices and contact paths including email, SMS, VoIP calls, social media alerts and mobile app notifications, amongst many others. It is even possible to integrate critical communications platforms with tannoy systems or digital signage to deliver a more effective and holistic communications strategy.
Multi-modality also enables multiple methods of delivering vital preventative information during widespread breakouts of disease. For example, the Government of India could communicate with regions at risk of malaria, offering advice around mosquito net availability and sharing local hospital information.
An example of when multi-modal communications would have been effective was during the March 2016 terror attacks in Brussels. Belgium’s response to the attacks was complicated by a communications blackout, understaffing and a series of false alarms. During the attack, the mobile phone network went offline, making standard mobile communication impossible. The team at Brussels Airport made its public Wi-Fi discoverable and free, allowing anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device to connect, send and receive messages. Without access to a variety of communication channels, those in the midst of the attack would have been unable to contact friends, family and colleagues to let them know they were safe or in need of assistance.
Emergency services resorted to emails, iPad messages and a radio communications system called Astrid which medical staff found too complicated and time consuming. Lt. Col. Eric Mergny who coordinated the medical response at Brussels Airport said that Astrid limited his communications to the point where he was unable to check which local hospitals had the capacity to take patients. This led to the miscommunication that hospitals were full. An advanced multi-modal communications platform could have eliminated confusion and streamlined responses to limit fatalities.
Two-way or no-way
Just as multi-modality ensures that it is easier to receive a message, two way communications makes it simpler to confirm a response. In a critical emergency, every second counts, so organisations can use communications platforms to create and deliver bespoke templates that require a simple push button responses. In doing so, the level of response to critical notifications can increase significantly.
For instance, if a crisis breaks out in New Delhi, local hospitals can send a notification to staff in the vicinity to find out if they are available to help. The message will have the option to reply with “I am available” or “I am not available” with one-button press, enabling a clearer picture of staff availability within minutes.
Combined, these two functions enable organisations to respond smarter and faster to those in need. In situations where multi-modal communications and response templates are deployed together, response rates to incidents increase from around 20 per cent of recipients to more than 90 per cent.
Another important requirement in healthcare is patient confidentiality. Healthcare professionals must seek a solution which can provide secure modes of communication to eliminate compliance concerns. Critical communications platforms such as Everbridge offer a variety of secure messaging applications to encourage collaboration between on-call teams whilst ensuring patient privacy is a priority.
How can a critical communications platform help to stop the spread of disease?
Mass notification platforms such as the Everbridge platform can be used to communicate directly with vulnerable people and reduce further contamination of disease. For example, during flu season the communications technology can send targeted messages to diabetes sufferers and the elderly to remind them to book a flu vaccine and deliver updated information around flu symptoms and treatments.
This process can be implemented for any type of disease in any country. In 2016, the Zika Virus caused global hysteria and very little was done to communicate simple prevention methods. Critical communications technology can be used to eliminate fear and advise on best practise against contamination such as using mosquito repellent and removing stagnant water from public areas.
Deploying a critical communications platform
Businesses have traditionally been early adopters of critical communications platforms but there has been increasing interest and support amongst emergency services. One of the UK’s leading Ambulance Trusts recently deployed the Everbridge critical communications platform.
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust in the UK provides emergency and urgent care services across 20 per cent of England. The trust employs more than 4,000 staff members, responsible for 96 ambulance stations, three clinical control rooms, six air ambulance bases and two hazard response teams.
Everbridge’s mass notification system enabled the trust’s emergency response teams to notify and alert key stakeholders of major incidents. The availability of multi-modal delivery has increased staff notification responses by 138 per cent, whilst text-to-speech functionality has reduced staff response times from more than 60 minutes to less than four, helping to increase the trust’s visibility of major incidents—ensuring its resources are deployed quickly and efficiently.
Oliver Tovey, Resilience Officer at the Trust, discovered that by routing all its communications through the Everbridge platform, the Trust would save £70,000 to £80,000 a year. “That’s a cost-saving that equates to five or six extra ambulances on the road,” he commented.
Conclusion
With a rise in the number of critical events worldwide, emergency services need the tools to locate and communicate with staff, in a timely, measurable manner, even when traditional routes of communication are unavailable. Healthcare must plan for the unexpected. With a critical communications platform costs can be significantly reduced and lives can be saved.