New steering model and Symptom Assessment tool well received among occupational health customers
During the autumn, all of Terveystalo's occupational health customers have been able to access the Symptom Assessment tool through digital channels. The experiences gathered from customer feedback and targeted customer consultations are mostly positive and the tool has received an overall rating of 4/5 for ease of use.The feedback has also provided ideas for further improvements for the coming year to further enhance the customer and professional experience.
The role of the symptom Assessment tool is to guide the occupational health client to the right specialist, in the right channel and at the right time. Based on the answers given by the client in the tool, he or she is offered a referral, which the majority of people follow.
– Positive feedback emphasises smoothness, ease of use and speed. They also praise the fact that the client has found his way to a professional whom he would not have thought of choosing without the recommendation. Currently, almost 90% of those who use the symptom assesment choose the recommended service, which means that the majority of them receive the most appropriate treatment for their condition, in the most appropriate channel and according to urgency," says Joonas Kaijala, the project manager responsible for the development of the steering model.
Feedback shows that some of the non-compliance is due to people not daring to choose a recommended service because they suspect it is not covered by their own occupational health contract. Others are due to the wrong situation, as the Symptom Assessment Tool is not always the right choice. This is the case, for example, when booking follow-up treatment or renewing a prescription.
– Our aim is to further clarify in which situations the Occupational Risk Assessment is helpful and to make it clear that the recommendation it provides is certainly in line with your own occupational health contract. In addition to the usability improvements that have already been made, we will therefore be rewording the guiding phrases to some extent to make the use of the tool even smoother," Kaijala adds.
According to customer feedback, some respondents have found it difficult to complete the Symptom Assessment and have given constructive feedback and ideas for improvement on the number and content of the questions themselves. Unfortunately it is not possible to influence the number or format of the detailed questions in the tool, as it is a CE-marked medical device. Thus using it will continue to take a few minutes to complete.
– In the future, we will certainly place even more emphasis on the benefits for the customer of responding. When a professional can get to know the client's situation in advance, based on the answers given in the Symptom Assessment, the client experience is improved, as the receptionist can focus more on the client," says Kaijala.
During the flu season, the Symptom Assessment is the tool of choice
There are several different viruses currently circulating in Finland that cause flu symptoms. Respiratory infections are also reflected in the Symptom Assessment tool, where up to 40% of recent visits have been related to cold symptoms.
– For common symptoms, the first thing to do is to remind people of the self-reporting policy, if the organisation has one in place. This frees up professional time for those who need it most urgently. To those whose symptoms are either prolonged or, by their nature, require clinical examination," says Kaijala.
