Successfully implementing Patients Know Best (PKB) in your service requires careful planning, team engagement, and a clear understanding of current workflows and patient pathways. This guide provides key considerations to support a smooth and meaningful rollout.

Getting Started

Before launching PKB, it’s important to:

• Complete a Team Qualification Document: This ensures your team is aligned and has the foundational knowledge required for implementation.

• Review Existing Patient Workflows and Touchpoints: Understand how patients currently move through your service and where digital tools could improve the experience.

• Set SMART Goals: Establish Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to track the success of your rollout.

• Review and Revise Pathways: Use this opportunity to evaluate your current pathways. Then, collaborate with your Success PM to incorporate PKB’s key features into an improved workflow.

Key PKB Features

• Care Plans

• Advanced Questionnaires

• Secure Messaging

• Data Sharing, test results, letters and appointments

Map the Patient Journey

Understanding the patient journey in detail helps identify areas where PKB can deliver quick wins and long-term value.

Consider these questions:

The Patient Timeline

• Referral: How are patients referred into the service? From where?

• Duration: How long do patients typically remain under your care?

• Discharge: Where do they go after discharge?

• Follow-up: How frequently do you see patients? How many of these appointments require physical examination? Can patients be moved onto a PIFU?

Patient Communication and Resources

Reflect on how you currently engage with patients and where PKB can streamline or enhance those interactions.

• How do you currently communicate with patients? (e.g., phone, email, post)

• Do you send out a large volume of letters or printed materials?

• Are you currently using care plans or health action plans with your patients?

Identifying Challenges and Opportunities

Understanding your service’s pain points and strategic goals will help you identify where PKB can provide value.

• Do you collect PROMS (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) or PREMS (Patient Reported Experience Measures)?

• What are your service’s key performance targets?

• Are you eligible for funding tied to digital innovation or the use of patient portals?

Using PKB as a Proof of Concept

It’s often helpful to start with areas where the digital transition is straightforward. For example:

• Digital Questionnaires

• Secure Messaging

• Digital appointment and appointment letters

These are excellent starting points that demonstrate early impact and provide a foundation for expanding to more advanced use of PKB features over time.

Summary

Rolling out PKB is more than a technical implementation; it’s a chance to rethink how your service delivers care. Begin by understanding your current workflows, identifying where PKB can address challenges or create efficiencies, and then work closely with your Success PM to design a practical, phased approach to digital transformation.