LONDON — King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London has deployed a new patient automated arrival system from NCR Corp.
According to a news release, the solution is designed to reduce queuing, increase the immediacy and privacy of patient communications and cut down on paperwork, allowing staff to focus on providing the highest standards of clinical care.
The queue-busting NCR MediKiosk enables patients to inform the hospital quickly that they have arrived for an appointment, view and update their contact details and complete questionnaires. Receptionists will be on hand to assist patients in using the kiosks if required. Targeted "well being" messages will also be broadcast on digital displays in the waiting room according to the profile of the patients who are present.
King's reported that one in seven patients fails to turn up for a scheduled appointment. The majority of patients need follow-up consultations and it is difficult to ensure that they receive correspondence sent by the hospital.
By consistently asking patients to check their contact details — including their mobile phone number and email address — at the kiosks, King's will help ensure communications regarding future appointments are received. Additionally, the NCR system can identify patients who miss appointments, allowing staff to reschedule at a more appropriate time.
In the next phase of the project, routine information will be relayed to patients prior to their consultation via the kiosks; for example, reminders that they will be asked to provide a urine or blood sample or need to observe a 24-hour fast if they are undergoing surgery. This will help to free up clinicians' time to focus on diagnosing, explaining and treating patients' conditions.
From their desktop computers receptionists will be able to monitor whether consultations are in progress, about to begin or delayed via a simple traffic light system. The solution enables individuals to be seen early if slots become free, maximizing the use of the clinicians' time, and alerts patients about anticipated delays using a real-time ticker on the digital displays. It also broadcasts audio announcements to call forward the next patient for his appointment.
"King's College Hospital selected NCR due to the depth of its self-service experience in the U.S. healthcare market and the proven reliability of its solutions," said Howard Lewis, ICT project manager at King's College Hospital NHS Trust. "It will help to improve the immediacy and privacy of patient communications as well as reduce queuing and paperwork, enabling our staff to focus on delivering excellent clinical care and enhancing the patient experience at King's."
