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How Self-Service Patient Check-In Kiosks Have Modernised Hospital Waiting Rooms

Consumer Information & Wayfinding Security/Access Control Staff Information Visitor Management Healthcare

Healthcare check-in kiosks and appointment management systems can help digitally empower healthcare, improve efficiency, reduce human error and confusion and, importantly, lower waiting times in hospitals.

Author

Rosie Ellis

Published

05/26/22

Waiting times in A&E in the UK are at an all-time high; from 2015-2020 patients waiting over 4 hours in hospital Accident and Emergency was increasingly more common, in December 2021 this was at a record high of 38.8%, and this statistic continues to rise.

This is the common theme throughout hospitals, with an average of 534 12-hour waits each day for a hospital bed after admission in January 2022 alone. For perspective, this statistic was 489 in England for the entirety of 2014. So, how can hospitals improve efficiency at medical check-in and admission, so that medical staff can focus on providing the best medical care rather than administration and patient check-in?

Patient Check-In Kiosks

Patient self-check-in kiosks drastically improve efficiency in waiting rooms. If there is a long queue, people can opt to check-in at the self-service kiosk. Appointment management system software is installed into the digital kiosk solution and synchronised with medical staff’s computers and/or other electronic hardware. Doctors and nurses have a complete overview of patients waiting, whilst the patient is reassured that a their presence has been registered without risk of human error.

Improved Infection Control

Implementing hospital check-in kiosks ensure that staff are no longer at risk of exposure to germs and infection from sick patients at reception desks or in waiting rooms. Electronic patient check-in can manage the entire patient journey from arrival to admission or appointment with the assigned medical professional. Not only does this protect staff from sickness (preventing absence and therefore a reduced workforce and longer waiting times), but it also frees staff time to focus on other tasks and optimising medical care.

Digital Signage

Healthcare and hospital check-in kiosks can utilise their touchscreen display to share important information, wayfinding, or advice to patients. This is reassuring and limits time spent by staff assisting patients with these tasks, whilst reducing the risk of infection transmission.

Digital Triage Solution

Electronic patient check-in kiosks can prioritise patients upon arrival to Emergency Departments, directs patients to appropriate care, such as pharmacies, GP appointments, calling 111 or specific wards if appropriate, in addition to managing check-in. A digital e-triage self-check-in kiosk thus streamlines the patient check-in process, reduces wait times and improves the patient’s user journey.

Patient Autonomy

Interactive self-service check-in kiosk solutions digitally empower healthcare and empower patients by giving them visibility of their own data and management of their patient journey. They can verify their own information, rather than it being read aloud to them by reception staff from a screen they cannot see.

The pandemic has initiated more urgency for healthcare environments to ensure patients feel more in control of their own health and making their own decisions with regards to healthcare, interactive self-check-in kiosks can catalyse this movement.

Are you interested in a self-service patient check-in kiosk? At imageHOLDERS, we produce optimal digital kiosk solutions custom-made around your needs. Contact our friendly team on 01202 892 863 (UK) or +1 877 450 2172 (US) for more information and to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, email [email protected].

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Request a call with an account manager, make a general enquiry, or download our brochure for more information on our visitor management software. If you’d like to speak to us straight away, call UK: 01202 892863 or USA: +1 877 450 2172. We look forward to hearing from you!