Emergency Department Kiosks Speed Patient Check-In Process

[CAL/AAEM News Service]

Emergency Department Kiosks Speed Patient Check-In Process

Source: The California HealthCare Foundation ( http://www.chcf.org )
Date: September 14, 2007
  
Some hospital emergency departments throughout the country have begun using self-service
computer kiosks in waiting rooms to help reduce long lines and help nurses identify the
most urgent cases, the AP/Miami Herald reports. 

At Parkland Memorial Hospital in Texas, which has three kiosks, patients spend about
eight minutes checking in using touchscreens to enter their name, age and other personal
information. Patients can choose from a list of ailments and a list of body parts to
indicate where they feel pain. 

Patients with serious injuries, such as those with gunshot wounds or who have been in car
accidents, still are rushed in for treatment. 

Once patients are done registering, the information is transmitted to a nurse's computer
screen. Patients with chest pains, stroke symptoms or other serious complaints take
priority. 

New Jersey's Newark Beth Israel Medical Center plans to install ED kiosks in the next few
months.

"Patients don't always know if their symptom is potentially bad or serious," said Dr.
Marc Borenstein, chair and residency program director for Beth Israel's department of
emergency medicine.

However, despite the kiosks, patients with lesser complaints often still wait a couple of
hours for a nurse and several more to see a doctor, according to the AP/Herald (Stengle,
AP/Miami Herald, 9/13). 

Readers are invited to send feedback to: ihb at chcf.org

Abid Mogannam &
Brian Potts MD, MBA
Managing Editors, CAL/AAEM News Service
University of California, Irvine

The CAL/AAEM Archives are available at: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/calaaem/



       
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