L&A County General Hospital is using new technology to help speed up emergency department triage and give nurses more time for patient care.
The hospital recently introduced EmergeConnect, a system that allows patients to enter information about their medical history, medications, symptoms and reason for visiting before meeting with a triage nurse.
Kristen Rochon, the hospital’s vice-president of patient care services and chief nursing executive, says the technology is designed to make the process more efficient.
Patients can complete the questions using kiosks at the hospital or through a mobile app before arriving. Information is only sent to the hospital once patients are physically there.
The system was introduced after a regional health information system change increased the time nurses needed to complete triage assessments.
Outpatient nursing manager Sondra Shantz says using the technology is optional, and it does not affect a patient’s priority in the triage process.
Early uptake has been encouraging, with about 75 per cent of patients using the kiosks since the launch a few weeks ago.
However, the hospital says it is too early to determine whether triage times have improved.
Rochon says patient feedback will help fine-tune the system.
The hospital hopes the technology will help reduce lineups, particularly when only one triage nurse is available.
Written by Emily Chatwood
