My phone pinged with a message from our GP surgery, asking me to make an appointment for one of my children to have a vaccination.
You can’t make appointments by phone any more, so I went online. But the first stage of the online access form requires me to click on an outline of a body, to identify the location of the ailment. Since there is no option for the entire immune system, I clicked on the arm, where the jab might go. Now I had to choose from one of 60 arm-related complaints, ranging from “lumps” to “paralysis”, but no mention of vaccines. At that point I gave up and – like some kind of crazed Luddite – tried calling the surgery instead. No answer. And so, unless I can work out some other way to breach the digital fortress, no vaccine… More here.
My experience is that big organisations use technology to build a barrier between customers (patients) and staff. The hurdles you often need to jump through can be used to save money and in some cases to deliberately limit incoming contact.
Only people can actually make life easier for other people…
Oh tech IS making life easier - for that GP Surgery. Not the patient.
GPS / satnav is a legit gamechanger tho
I think technology CAN make life easier. I have the MySurgery app (I live in Wales where things are sometimes different to England). I can order repeat prescriptions easily, but then have to pick the script up for the surgery. I can't see my blood results or other medical history which is annoying as I have to have regular blood tests for the arthritis drug I'm on - relying onnthe surgery to contact me if there's anything untoward.
My niece's 11 year old has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes requiring constant blood sugar monitoring and insulin injections for the rest of his life. He's got one of those blood sugar monitor patches on his arm - links to an app to let hime know what his blood sugar is - far easier and less painful than the old finger prick tests.
Online banking is a breeze. I can't remember the last time I went near a bank, let alone in one.
But sometimes, technology can be a barrier. Systems don't take to each other, they can break (virtually or physically). You can run out of battery.
All in all, I'd rather have the tech than not.