This year, Google has recognized several Leaptakers in the information technology sector for their impactful innovations. Google’s mission with Leaptakers is to hear and share the stories of how IT “keeps the world moving”, something that has been incredibly important over the last year and a half. As Aetonix went through rapid transformations to meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers around the world, our story was submitted to Google for their consideration.
Google has selected a few organizations to create videos for, in order to share their stories with the world. We’re extremely proud to share that we have been featured in a video for this year’s Google Leaptakers, among other trailblazing organizations.
Identifying a Need for Virtual Care
While many healthcare organizations were equipped to deal with an influx of patients, few were truly prepared to handle the medical demand of COVID-19. With hospitals around the globe at total capacity and regular healthcare services becoming harder for patients to access, it was clear that change was necessary within the sector.
Due to its high rate of transmission, and devastating health consequences, many who were infected with COVID-19 had to spend days or weeks in isolation throughout 2020 and 2021. The strict isolation policies meant that some ICU patients, who were suffering from the virus, spent their last days alone, unable to connect with loved ones or say a proper final goodbye. For patients who recovered from COVID-19, the loneliness of being disconnected from loved ones also had a negative impact on their emotional well-being.
Our Impact On The Healthcare Industry
It was clear that a solution was required to provide patients with further options to connect with loved ones. When the U.K government ruled that hospital visits were no longer permitted, Professor of Critical Care Nursing at King’s College London, Louise Rose, and Dr. Joel Meyer, a critical care consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals took immediate action to begin looking for an answer.
After reaching out to Michel Paquet, CEO of Aetonix, Professor Louise Rose and Dr. Joel Meyer found a promising telehealth solution. Although it had to be modified to meet the demand from hospitals, Aetonix’s virtual communication platform would be used to help keep patients connected with loved ones. The platform would first have to undergo some major changes to meet the needs of hospitals in the U.K (a process that typically requires months of planning). Within just two weeks, the information technology team at Aetonix was able to integrate the features they required and have the software delivered to hospitals across the U.K.
Aetonix’s application played a key role in helping patients connect with loved ones and be up-to-date on their health status. This lifeline enabled over 100,000 life-changing calls. Along with keeping COVID-19 patients connected, the aTouchAway platform is continuing to meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers through innovative telehealth features.
Evolving With the Needs of Patients and Healthcare Providers
Recently, aTouchAway has begun integrating more features to meet a more diverse set of patient needs, such as palliative care, pre/post-operative care, and more. As Aetonix continues to expand, we look forward to improving the ways in which patients receive care, and to enhancing processes throughout healthcare organizations.
We’d like to thank Google for featuring our story, and acknowledging the positive impact aTouchAway has had on the lives of patients.
To read more about our story, check out our featured article here!
