Patientsknowbest.com Reviews

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Based on looking at the website, Patients Know Best patientsknowbest.com appears to be a digital platform designed to provide a single, unified place for individuals to access, manage, and share their health information.

The platform aims to empower patients and their carers by offering tools to connect with healthcare professionals, view medical records, manage appointments, and track health data.

It emphasizes integration with national health services, notably the NHS in the UK, suggesting a focus on secure, accessible, and comprehensive personal health management.

The site highlights its extensive user base and partnerships, positioning itself as a trusted solution for improving patient engagement and delivering more integrated care.

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IMPORTANT: We have not personally tested this company’s services. This review is based solely on information provided by the company on their website. For independent, verified user experiences, please refer to trusted sources such as Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org.

Patients Know Best: A Digital Health Management Hub

Patients Know Best presents itself as a robust platform for managing personal health information.

The core idea is to put individuals in control of their health data, allowing them to access, add, and share information securely.

This approach is intended to foster better communication between patients, their families, carers, and healthcare providers, ultimately leading to more informed and coordinated care.

Patients Know Best: Review & First Look

A first look at Patients Know Best patientsknowbest.com reveals a comprehensive digital health platform with a clear mission: to centralize and democratize health information. The website is professionally designed, offering a clear navigation structure that directs users to sections relevant to patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations. The homepage immediately highlights key statistics, such as over 5 million registered patients and 20 million+ test results received monthly, underscoring its significant footprint, particularly within the UK’s National Health Service NHS. The visual design is clean and user-friendly, with prominent calls to action for logging in or booking a demo.

The platform’s accessibility across web, mobile, and the NHS App is a significant advantage, suggesting a commitment to convenience and integration into existing healthcare ecosystems. Aromantic.co.uk Reviews

The emphasis on “a single place for your health information” resonates with the growing need for consolidated medical records, eliminating the fragmentation often experienced in traditional healthcare systems.

It’s evident that the platform aims to be a foundational layer for personal health records PHRs, facilitating communication and data exchange.

Patients Know Best Features

Patients Know Best offers a suite of features designed to enhance patient engagement and streamline healthcare management.

These functionalities cater to various stakeholders, from individual patients to large healthcare organizations.

  • Health Record Access and Management: Users can access a comprehensive view of their medical history, including diagnoses, medications, allergies, and test results. This feature is crucial for patients to stay informed about their health status. The platform boasts 20 million+ test results received every month, indicating a high volume of data flowing through the system.
  • Care Plans: Patients can view and contribute to their personalized care plans, ensuring they are active participants in their treatment journey. This collaborative approach fosters better adherence and understanding of health goals.
  • Secure Messaging: The platform facilitates direct and secure communication between patients and their healthcare professionals, reducing the need for phone calls and improving response times. This is vital for timely advice and follow-ups.
  • Appointments Management: Users can view and manage their healthcare appointments, potentially reducing missed appointments and improving clinic efficiency.
  • Adding Personal Information: Patients have the ability to add their own health information, such as symptoms, lifestyle choices, and readings from wearable devices. This self-reported data enriches the overall health record and provides a more holistic view for clinicians.
  • Connecting Wearable Devices: The integration with wearable devices allows for continuous monitoring of health metrics, providing real-time data that can be shared with healthcare providers. This is a significant step towards proactive health management.
  • Information Sharing Controls: A critical feature is the granular control patients have over who can access their health information. This consent layer allows patients to share data with family, carers, and other healthcare providers selectively, ensuring privacy and autonomy. The website quotes Andy Kinnear of North Bristol NHS Trust: “A consent layer allows patients to express their preference on being contacted, take part in research and share with friends and family that actually care for them.”
  • Integration with NHS App and Digital Ecosystems: The platform’s deep integration with the NHS App and other NHS Digital initiatives highlights its role in the broader digital transformation of healthcare in the UK. This interoperability ensures seamless data flow and reduces administrative burdens.

Patients Know Best Pros & Cons

Like any comprehensive digital platform, Patients Know Best comes with its own set of advantages and potential drawbacks. Elirox.com Reviews

Understanding these can help users and organizations make informed decisions.

Pros:

  • Patient Empowerment: By providing direct access and control over health records, the platform significantly empowers patients to take a more active role in their care. This aligns with the modern healthcare philosophy of shared decision-making.
  • Enhanced Communication: The secure messaging system improves communication channels between patients and healthcare providers, fostering a more collaborative and responsive care environment. This can reduce communication delays and enhance clarity.
  • Comprehensive Health Overview: Consolidating various health data points test results, care plans, self-reported data into a single record offers a holistic view of a patient’s health, which is beneficial for both patients and clinicians.
  • Security and Privacy: The emphasis on “highest standards of security & privacy,” including endorsement by NHS England and integration with NHS Digital, instills confidence in the platform’s ability to protect sensitive health data. The website mentions “Granular privacy” settings, allowing users fine-tuned control.
  • Free for Patients: The platform is free for patients, as it is paid for by healthcare organizations. This removes a financial barrier to access for individual users, making it more widely adoptable.

Cons:

  • Reliance on Healthcare Provider Adoption: While widely adopted within the NHS, the utility for individual patients can depend on whether their specific healthcare provider or trust uses and actively integrates with Patients Know Best. If a patient’s clinic isn’t on board, the full benefits may not be realized.
  • Digital Divide: Despite efforts for accessibility, individuals who are not digitally literate or lack consistent access to internet and devices may find it challenging to fully utilize the platform. This can exacerbate existing health inequalities.
  • Data Accuracy Responsibility: While patients can add their own data, the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and clinical relevance of this self-reported information might create additional workload or potential for error if not properly managed by clinicians.
  • Complexity for Some Users: While designed for user-friendliness, the sheer breadth of features and the concept of managing complex health data digitally might be overwhelming for some users, particularly older demographics or those with specific cognitive challenges.
  • Integration Challenges: While integrations are a pro, the process of integrating with diverse NHS and healthcare IT systems can still present technical challenges, potentially leading to occasional data discrepancies or delays in information flow. Kevin Jarrold, CIO of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, noted: “It was important for us to choose a patient portal that allows patients to share data with any provider and with open read-write APIs to integrate with their systems.” This highlights the complexity of multi-system integration.

Patients Know Best Alternatives

While Patients Know Best is a prominent player in the personal health record PHR and patient portal space, particularly within the UK, several alternative solutions offer similar or complementary functionalities.

The choice of an alternative often depends on specific needs, geographic location, and integration requirements.

  • NHS App UK-Specific: For users in the UK, the official NHS App is a direct alternative and, in many ways, an integrated component of Patients Know Best. It allows users to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view their GP health record, and access other NHS services. Since Patients Know Best integrates with the NHS App, they can work in tandem.
  • MyChart Epic Systems: Widely used in the United States and globally, MyChart is a patient portal offered by healthcare providers that use Epic electronic health record EHR systems. It allows patients to view test results, manage appointments, communicate with providers, and access medical summaries. Its prevalence makes it a de facto alternative for many patients.
  • Patient Portals Other EHR Vendors: Beyond Epic, other major EHR vendors like Cerner, Meditech, and Allscripts offer their own patient portals. These portals provide similar functionalities for accessing records and communicating with providers, but their availability is tied to the specific EHR system used by a patient’s healthcare organization.
  • Personal Health Record PHR Apps e.g., Apple Health, Google Health: These applications allow users to manually input or aggregate health data from various sources, including wearables and some health providers. While they offer data centralization, they often lack the direct integration and communication features with healthcare systems that dedicated patient portals provide. For instance, Apple Health allows users to store medical records from participating institutions in a secure, encrypted format on their iPhone, and Google Health is working towards similar capabilities.
  • Dedicated Health Management Apps: Numerous apps focus on specific aspects of health management, such as symptom tracking e.g., Ada Health, Symptom Checker, medication reminders e.g., Medisafe, or chronic disease management. While not comprehensive PHRs, they can serve as alternatives for specific needs.
  • Direct Communication via Telehealth Platforms: Many healthcare providers now use dedicated telehealth platforms e.g., Zoom for Healthcare, Doxy.me, Babylon Health for virtual consultations and secure messaging, which can serve as an alternative for direct communication, though they typically don’t offer the full PHR capabilities.

When considering alternatives, key factors include:

  • Integration with your healthcare provider: Is your clinic/hospital using a specific patient portal?
  • Features offered: Do you need comprehensive record access, secure messaging, appointment booking, or specific tracking tools?
  • Security and privacy: How robust are the data protection measures?
  • Ease of use: Is the interface intuitive and accessible for your needs?

How to Cancel Patients Know Best Subscription for Organizations

Patients Know Best operates on a B2B model, meaning healthcare organizations hospitals, health boards, GP practices are the subscribers, not individual patients. Watch-repair-piccadilly.co.uk Reviews

Therefore, individual patients do not have a “subscription” to cancel, as the service is free for them.

For healthcare organizations or commissioners looking to cancel their contract or subscription with Patients Know Best, the process typically involves:

  1. Reviewing the Contract: The first and most crucial step is to refer to the original service agreement or contract signed with Patients Know Best. This document will outline the terms and conditions for termination, including notice periods, any early termination fees, and the specific procedures to follow.
  2. Contacting Account Management: The organization should reach out to their dedicated account manager or the Patients Know Best client support team. This can usually be done via email or phone, using the contact details provided in the contract or on the official Patients Know Best website under “Get in touch” or “Support”.
  3. Formal Written Notice: It is highly likely that the contract will require a formal written notice of cancellation. This notice should clearly state the organization’s intention to terminate the service, the effective date of cancellation adhering to the notice period, and any other information specified in the contract.
  4. Data Transition and Archiving: A critical aspect of cancelling a health IT service is ensuring the secure and compliant transition or archiving of patient data. Organizations will need to discuss and agree with Patients Know Best on a plan for data export, retention, and deletion in accordance with data protection regulations like GDPR in the UK. This process must comply with all relevant legal and ethical guidelines regarding patient information.
  5. Financial Settlement: Any outstanding invoices or financial obligations up to the termination date, or any early termination fees as stipulated in the contract, will need to be settled.

It is advisable for organizations to begin this process well in advance of their desired cancellation date to ensure sufficient time for contractual obligations, data migration, and a smooth transition, minimizing disruption to patient care.

Patients Know Best Pricing

As previously noted, Patients Know Best operates on a model where the service is free for individual patients and carers. The cost is borne by the healthcare organizations that choose to implement the platform. This means there is no public pricing structure for individual users.

For healthcare organizations, hospitals, health boards, or GP practices, the pricing model for Patients Know Best is typically based on: Elenahonch.com Reviews

  • Scale of Deployment: The size of the organization, the number of patients served, and the scope of integration often influence the pricing. A large NHS Trust serving hundreds of thousands of patients will likely have a different pricing structure than a smaller GP practice.
  • Features and Modules Activated: While the core platform offers essential PHR functionalities, organizations might opt for additional modules, integrations, or bespoke customizations, which would affect the overall cost. For example, specific advanced analytics or deep integrations with niche clinical systems could be add-ons.
  • Contract Length: Longer-term contracts may offer more favorable pricing compared to shorter commitments.
  • Support and Training: The level of ongoing support, training for staff, and implementation assistance provided can also be factored into the overall cost.
  • Population Served: Some models might be based on the number of registered patients or the population covered by the commissioning organization.

Due to the bespoke nature of these enterprise-level contracts, Patients Know Best does not publish specific pricing plans on their website. Instead, prospective healthcare organizations are encouraged to “Book a demo” or “Get in touch” to discuss their specific needs and receive a tailored quote. This approach allows Patients Know Best to provide solutions that precisely fit the complex and varied requirements of different healthcare systems.

Healthcare organizations interested in Patients Know Best should expect a consultation process where their current infrastructure, patient numbers, desired functionalities, and integration needs are assessed to formulate a customized proposal.

Patients Know Best vs. Competitors

When evaluating Patients Know Best against its competitors, it’s essential to consider the specific context of its deployment, particularly its strong ties to the NHS in the UK.

While many competitors offer similar features, their strategic focus and integration capabilities can vary significantly.

Patients Know Best PKB Strengths:

  • Deep NHS Integration: PKB’s most significant competitive advantage is its long-standing and profound integration with the NHS. Since 2008, it has become a trusted and endorsed platform within the UK’s public health system. This means seamless data flow with GP systems, hospital trusts, and the NHS App, which is crucial for a unified health record in the UK.
  • Patient-Centric Control: PKB emphasizes patient ownership and granular control over their data sharing, which is a strong differentiator. This empowers patients more than some other systems that primarily serve as extensions of the provider’s EHR.
  • Comprehensive PHR Functionality: It offers a robust set of features, including secure messaging, appointment management, care plan access, and the ability to add personal data and integrate with wearables, providing a truly comprehensive personal health record.
  • Security & Governance: Being deeply embedded within the NHS means adhering to stringent UK healthcare security and governance standards, giving users confidence in data protection.

Competitors & Their Positioning:

  1. MyChart Epic Systems: Tambiacoffee.com Reviews

    • Focus: Predominantly used in the US and globally by large healthcare systems that use Epic EHR. It’s a provider-centric patient portal.
    • Differentiation: Strong integration with the Epic EHR, offering a seamless experience for patients within a specific health system. Less emphasis on sharing data across disparate systems unless those systems also use Epic.
    • Vs. PKB: PKB is more about patient ownership and interoperability across different providers/trusts within the NHS ecosystem, whereas MyChart is tightly coupled with a single provider’s Epic system.
  2. Other EHR Vendor Portals Cerner, Meditech, Allscripts, etc.:

    • Focus: Similar to MyChart, these are extensions of their respective EHR systems, designed to give patients access to their records from a specific hospital or clinic.
    • Differentiation: Tied to the specific EHR. interoperability across different vendors can be challenging.
    • Vs. PKB: PKB aims for a more universal personal health record that aggregates data from various sources and providers, rather than being confined to one EHR system.
  3. National Health Service App NHS App:

    • Focus: The official app for NHS services in England, offering basic patient access to GP records, appointments, and prescriptions.
    • Differentiation: Government-backed, universally accessible to NHS patients. PKB integrates with it, often enhancing its capabilities.
    • Vs. PKB: PKB can be seen as a more advanced, comprehensive PHR platform that complements and expands upon the foundational services offered by the NHS App, especially for complex care needs or multiple providers.
  4. Consumer PHR Apps e.g., Apple Health, Google Health, Samsung Health:

    • Focus: Allow individuals to manually input health data, integrate with wearables, and sometimes pull limited data from participating providers.
    • Differentiation: Consumer-driven, often less direct integration with healthcare providers’ clinical systems, and rely more on user input or API availability.
    • Vs. PKB: PKB offers a more clinically integrated and validated personal health record, with direct secure messaging and professional care plan management, whereas consumer apps are more for personal tracking and aggregation.

In summary, Patients Know Best stands out for its deep integration within the UK’s NHS, its patient-centric data control philosophy, and its comprehensive personal health record capabilities that aim to consolidate data across various providers within a complex national health system.

Its competitors often serve a more localized or vendor-specific purpose, or offer less clinical depth. Toontrack.com Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Patients Know Best patientsknowbest.com?

Patients Know Best PKB is a digital platform that provides individuals with a single, secure place to access, manage, and share their health information with healthcare professionals, family, and carers.

It is used by healthcare organizations, particularly within the NHS in the UK, to empower patients and facilitate integrated care.

Is Patients Know Best free for patients?

Yes, Patients Know Best is free for individual patients and carers.

The service is paid for by the healthcare organizations hospitals, health boards, local practices that implement the platform.

How does Patients Know Best work?

Patients Know Best works by integrating with various healthcare systems like GP practices and hospitals to pull together a patient’s medical information. Ecloudonline.co.uk Reviews

Patients can then view their records, add their own health data, communicate securely with healthcare professionals, manage appointments, and share their information with others they choose.

Is Patients Know Best secure?

Yes, Patients Know Best emphasizes high standards of security and privacy.

It is integrated with NHS Digital, endorsed by NHS England ITP, and adheres to stringent data protection regulations like GDPR, ensuring patient data is handled securely and confidentially.

Can I access Patients Know Best on my mobile phone?

Yes, Patients Know Best is available on web, mobile via a dedicated app, and is also integrated into the NHS App, providing flexible access for users.

What kind of health information can I see on Patients Know Best?

You can typically see your medical records, test results, medications, allergies, care plans, and appointment details. Alltechcompetitions.co.uk Reviews

You can also add your own information, such as symptoms, lifestyle data, and readings from wearable devices.

Can I share my health information with family members using Patients Know Best?

Yes, a key feature of Patients Know Best is the ability to share your health information with family members or carers.

You have granular control over what information is shared and with whom, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.

Is Patients Know Best part of the NHS?

Patients Know Best is not directly part of the NHS in the sense of being an NHS-owned application, but it is deeply integrated with and trusted by the NHS.

It has been used by NHS organizations since 2008 and is endorsed by NHS England, working as a key enabler for digital patient records within the NHS. Wavesandtrunks.com Reviews

How do I register for Patients Know Best?

If your healthcare provider uses Patients Know Best, they will typically provide you with instructions on how to register.

You can also visit patientsknowbest.com and follow the registration prompts. You will usually need to verify your identity.

What are the main benefits of using Patients Know Best?

The main benefits include improved patient empowerment, better communication with healthcare providers, a comprehensive and centralized view of health information, enhanced security and privacy controls, and seamless integration with other healthcare systems.

Can I book appointments through Patients Know Best?

Yes, depending on your healthcare provider’s setup, you may be able to view and manage your healthcare appointments directly through the Patients Know Best platform.

What is a “personal health record” PHR?

A personal health record PHR is an electronic application through which individuals can maintain and manage their health information in a private, secure, and confidential environment. Loves.com Reviews

Patients Know Best serves as a comprehensive PHR platform.

How does Patients Know Best help healthcare professionals?

Patients Know Best helps healthcare professionals by providing real-time patient information, enabling secure online consultations, facilitating the creation and sharing of care plans, reducing administrative burdens, and integrating data from various sources for a complete patient view.

Can Patients Know Best integrate with my wearable devices?

Yes, Patients Know Best allows users to connect wearable devices to track and monitor symptoms and health metrics, providing real-time data that can be shared with healthcare professionals.

What happens to my data if my healthcare provider stops using Patients Know Best?

The contract between Patients Know Best and healthcare organizations typically includes provisions for data transition and archiving.

Your healthcare provider would work with Patients Know Best to ensure your data is securely exported or retained in compliance with data protection regulations. Parnabys.com Reviews

Does Patients Know Best offer telehealth services?

While Patients Know Best facilitates secure messaging with healthcare professionals and can support elements of remote monitoring, it primarily functions as a personal health record platform.

Direct video consultations might be integrated or accessed via other linked services, depending on the healthcare provider.

How many patients use Patients Know Best?

As of information on their website, Patients Know Best has over 5 million registered patients, indicating a significant and growing user base.

Can I use Patients Know Best if I live outside the UK?

While Patients Know Best has a strong presence and integration within the UK’s NHS, its availability and functionality outside the UK would depend on whether healthcare organizations in other countries have adopted and implemented the platform.

What are the alternatives to Patients Know Best?

Alternatives include the official NHS App in the UK, patient portals from other EHR vendors like MyChart Epic, consumer-focused PHR apps like Apple Health or Google Health, and various dedicated health management apps for specific needs. Drheadshot.com Reviews

How do healthcare organizations benefit from Patients Know Best?

Healthcare organizations benefit from Patients Know Best through improved patient engagement, reduced demand on services, increased capacity, better integrated care, cash-releasing savings, enhanced data security, and improved governance, leading to a more efficient and patient-centric healthcare system.

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