Case Histories › Neuropage™

Message lifeline for patients

Neuropage™ is a service that provides programmed reminders via pager or mobile phone to people with memory, planning or organisational problems. Reminders may include appointments, taking medication or even sending birthday cards. The service helps many people suffering from brain injury or progressive diseases.

Problem

Neuropage™ has been operating for ten years. However, the original system, based on Apple Macintosh, was unsupported and did not allow easy use of increasingly popular SMS messaging.

Solution

The Oliver Zangwill Centre for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, which operates Neuropage™ decided to migrate to the Windows operating system with Autopage. Andrew Bateman, clinical manager and head of research at the Centre explains the decision: "NeuroPage™ has been working very successfully for many years, but in the past the use of SMS texting has been a bit tricky for us. The Autopage system makes it rather more straightforward for us to choose between paging and texting," he said. The transfer was achieved seamlessly without users being aware of the change.

"We're actually big fans of paging because it offers one-button retrieval, which is ideal for our patients, who can frequently do without complicated phones. However, some patients do find texting more attractive, and it is now easier for us to meet their wishes."

Andrew Bateman added that while NeuroPage™ users would have noticed no changes, the Autopage software had made the whole system easier for administrators to run.

"NeuroPage™ runs 24 hours a day, and it's now less stressful to make sure this on-call system is operating, before it was quite complex. The Autopage system is easier to learn and to use."

The system allows a complete schedule of prerecorded messages to be set up for a patient anywhere in the UK and amended as required. The operator can switch easily from one patient's schedule to another and choose simply between pager or SMS delivery. All messages sent and acknowledgements are logged.

A typical example of the benefits of this service is provided by a 40-year-old man with multiple medical issues including seizures and subsequent memory difficulties. Through Neuropage™, he is prompted to take medication, charge his mobility scooter and keep important treatment appointments, helping him to live independently and reducing the risk of further seizures and damage.

The NeuroPage™ service has been documented as an example of best practice in the NHS Long Term conditions framework in relation to supporting people to self-care. Autopage has proved stable and reliable in this critical application.

 

| | | |