Press Release - The Doctor Will See You Now
March 19, 2014—LONDON, UK—Blue Jeans Network, the global leader in cloud-based video collaboration and interactive event services, today revealed that the use of video conferencing software among healthcare professionals has increased tenfold over the last three years with over 35,000 minutes of calls now taking place over video.
Over the last few decades the UK healthcare sector has often been governed by budget cuts and as a result stretched resources. With the General Election just around the corner, there is an expectation that staff numbers, patient care and funding for the NHS will be topics of debate.
Healthcare organisations and professionals need to act now to review ways of work to help address these challenges and for many, this means turning to the latest tech in a bid to save money, whilst offering a higher quality of service.
Doctors need to see patients. It's how healthcare works. That used to mean waiting for appointments and meeting in person, but research shows that doctors are now connecting with patients more and more through video calls – Blue Jeans has seen a significant increase of usage over the past few years, totaling 37,724 minutes in 2014 alone, across the UK.
Further findings reveal that over the last three years, there has been an even split of video conferencing usage between professionals based in rural (21,402 minutes) and city (23,124 minutes) areas. Those based in rural areas are able to connect with city specialists, while those in the city can slash cross-town travel time and costs.
James Campanini, VP & GM EMEA, Blue Jeans Network: “With the General Election just round the corner, we think – like other years – changes will be put in place that will impact how healthcare organisations need to operate, and we're really excited to see what these are. Coupled with yesterday's Budget announcement severely lacking in attention towards the NHS and healthcare system, it's now more important than ever for action to be taken to ensure resources can be used in the most efficient way possible, without cutting into valuable budgets.”
The Blue Jeans research found that over a three year period, web browsers have become the most popular way to join video calls (72% of all video calls in 2014) and a trend towards mobile usage can be seen, with one in every 21 calls having a participant joining via this platform.
Campanini continues: “It's great to see consumerisation of IT has started to creep into the healthcare workplace, with more professionals now turning to mobile as a platform of choice. While we have seen a significant increase in usage in recent years, there's still vast potential for more healthcare professionals to not only embrace video conferencing solutions but to do so across a variety of devices.”
David Winstone-Adair, Head of Business Development, Interact Technology concludes: “Video Conferencing allows healthcare professionals to communicate face-to-face even when hectic schedules and lean travel budgets do not allow. It's also not just about budgets and schedules but access. It's really important that even in the most remote locations, the same level of healthcare is available and by using video conferencing, patients can be connected to specialists regardless of location. It's promising to see that over the last two years there's been a significant increase in usage, but the next couple of years will be key.”
For more information visit: https://www.bluejeans.com/for/healthcare.
About Blue Jeans Network
At Blue Jeans Network, we aim to bring great minds together to meet, share ideas and reach their audience through the power of video collaboration. By making video communication easy, secure and scalable, our customers can make online conversations, meetings and events personal again. Blue Jeans' cloud-based platform has taken video into the mainstream, giving thought leaders in business, entertainment, media, and sports the power to interact face-to-face with anyone, anywhere.
Media Contact:
Zoe Bevis
Octopus Group
zoe.bevis@weareoctopusgroup.net