Telehealth for patients
Like much of healthcare, telehealth replaces medical appointments when and where possible, reducing costs and creating greater access. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global demand for digital technology, including telehealth for fertility treatment. Digital technology addresses costs for fertility patients by facilitating ways of receiving information. For example, home testing kits for both men and women, which are fully supported by fertility specialists, can be ordered by patients online, with full information and support also available via the Internet.
Digital consultation can also be provided by clinics using online video technology. This reduces the number of visits to the clinic and generates an automated matching and booking system. This can then be followed up by a detailed medical consultation with one of the clinic’s fertility consultants. These services provide easier access to care.
Digital technology promises a better user experience (UX) across the entire healthcare sector. It can personalise care and provide continuity, not to mention support 24/7. Today’s experience is highly impersonal and is mostly self-managed outside the doctor’s consulting rooms, including the administration of medication. Thanks to telehealth and digital journeys, customers can benefit from connected, on-demand support using the app of their choice.
However, the digital technology boom comes with important data protection and cyber security considerations. The European GDPR requirements for personal data protection have significant implications for fertility clinics, healthcare providers and patients. This means that providers need to adopt a more holistic approach towards data management. Fertility clinics must have effective procedures in place that can be implemented immediately in order to meet GDPR requirements. This requires a more cautious approach to the handling of personal data and thorough knowledge of where the information is being stored and how it is being processed. This applies to hospitals and clinics, diagnostic laboratories, online shops and every organisation that processes health-related data.
Mobile apps, connected devices, wearables and trackables
Mobile apps linking patients to healthcare providers range from reference to communication tools including electronic health records, providing continuous access to personal health-related information. Initial evidence shows that these mobile applications improve the patient experience by increasing compliance, efficiency and accuracy in terms of documentation, information retrieval, and coordination of care. Patients can access their personal fertility information, profile and documents all in one place.
Partners are able to share and connect their information to create a holistic overview. Patients are sent reminders and have medication tracking to ensure that they are following their fertility treatment plans more efficiently. This is a key benefit as men are often left out of the process or are not given as much consideration.
Infertility can be a significant source of psychological distress. Mobile applications also allow patients to obtain support by connecting to online forums. Finding an egg or embryo donor or a surrogate is a simple, digitally supported exercise in matchmaking instead of the manual process that has existed to date. Connected devices can be used to track hormones, sperm count and symptoms, etc. with data to be shared directly with doctors.
Fertility healthcare professionals are also turning increasingly to mobile applications to help improve patient care. Regulators in the US and Europe have gradually approved applications which have benefited the fertility industry. These applications now support decision-making for healthcare professionals and patient-management. From the patient’s perspective, these apps are invaluable in managing modifiable lifestyle factors during treatment such as the management of medication, booking appointments and accessing online support.
Resources
- Rotker, K., Velez, D. 2020. Where will telemedicine go from here? Fertility and Sterility. VOLUME 114, ISSUE 6, P1135-1139, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j. fertnstert.2020.10.050
- Gay, V., Leijdekkers, P., Bringing Health and Fitness Data Together for Connected Health Care: Mobile Apps as Enablers of Interoperability. J Med Internet Res. 2015; 17 (11): e260. Published 2015 Nov 18. doi:10.2196/ jmir.5094
- Earle, Sarah, Marston, Hannah, Hadley, Robin, Banks, Duncan (2020), The use of menstruation and fertility app trackers: a scoping review of the evidence. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health (Early Access). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsrh-2019-200488
- Radin, J. et al. The healthy pregnancy research program: transforming pregnancy research through a ResearchKit app. NPJ Digit Med. 2018; 1:45.
- Curchoe, C., Smartphone Applications for Reproduction: From Rigorously Validated and Clinically Relevant to Potentially Harmful. EMJ Repro Health. 2020;6[1]:85-91
- Yu, S., Rubin, M., Geevarughese, S., Pino, J.S., Rodriguez, H.F., Asghar, W., Emerging technologies for home-based semen analysis. Andrology. 2018; 6: 10-1
- Roshonara, Ali., Zeynep, B., Gürtin, Joyce, Harper, C., Do fertility tracking applications offer women useful information about their fertile window? Reproductive BioMedicine Online, Volume 42, Issue 1, 2021, Pages 273-281, ISSN 1472-6483, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. rbmo.2020.09.005.
- In-Depth: Digital health innovation in fertility and women’s health – not so niche anymore | MobiHealthNews
- https://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/depth-digital-health-innovation-fertility-and-womens-health- %E2%80%93-not-so-niche-anymore
- The new EU Regulation on the protection of personal data: what does it mean for patients? (eu-patient.eu)