Treatment protocols make good choices easy for customers
Patient counselling based on medical science is the basis of all operations at Terveystalo. Patient counselling is being developed based on common treatment protocols, and the first treatment protocol related to non-specific low back pain will be introduced in October. The purpose is to increase the effectiveness of the treatment the customer receives and to assist and speed up recovery and return to work.
The treatment protocols are treatments defined by Terveystalo, based on the Current Care Guidelines, to treat a given illness or ailment for which a customer seeks treatment. With their help, uniform treatment of a specific ailment is ensured in Terveystalo’s nationwide network, which guarantees consistent quality and the realization of effective treatment.
“Treatment protocols clarify and streamline the professional’s work. When the diagnosis-specific care pathway is strengthened with the help of automated alerts, the appointment can focus on the encounter and the things that bring added value to the customer,” says Antti-Jussi Ämmälä, Senior Physician, Quality and Patient Safety at Terveystalo.
“For example, the treatment protocol for low back pain includes physical therapy. When you record low back pain in the patient information system, a referral for physical therapy can be made very easily,” says Ämmälä.
Terveystalo’s responsibility is to support the customer in various ways. By developing digital solutions, ways are sought to remind and be in active contact with the customer if it seems that the next steps of the treatment will not be done. We also support self-care by bringing information about the ailment and its self-care into the app.
“Through our expertise, we know what things should happen for an effective treatment to take place and for the patient who is to be treated to get help for their ailment as soon as possible. Our job is to make sure that these things actually happen so that a minor ailment does not turn into a long-term health problem that causes sickness absences. When a referral for further treatment has been made, the customer receives a message through which they can immediately book the appointment. If the customer does not book an appointment, we first remind them gently and then more briskly,” explains Ämmälä.
In the future, researched information related to the diagnosis and support for self-care will be distributed widely to customers through the Terveystalo app. Now, at the latest, you should encourage your personnel to use the app.
“One of the expert’s tasks is to share information about the customer’s ailment. It may not always be possible to take in all the information during an appointment, so we make it easy for customers to return to the information. Through the Terveystalo app, we share additional information about treatment, articles and, for example, physical therapy instruction videos,” says Ämmälä.
At the end of 2022, Terveystalo will also introduce treatment protocols for occupational health customers prepared for the treatment of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, as well as treatment protocols for vitreous detachment and acid reflux.
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