A contest put on by the Nova Scotia government that asked health-care workers to suggest improvements to the system — and then had the public vote on the suggestions — has revealed most people want simple technology and communication upgrades.
Among the top suggestions were enabling hospital caller ID “so patients can see when the hospital calls,” sending texts to remind patients of their appointments, allowing patients to pre-register online before a surgery or specialist appointment, and developing a registration app where clerks can scan a QR code.
Other ideas focused on workflow and scope of practice to alleviate pressures on nurses.
The Healthcare Improvement Challenge ran last fall, and asked workers to submit “common sense ideas.”
According to a news release Monday, some 8,722 Nova Scotians then voted from a shortlist of 20 ideas.
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The top 10 ideas are now considered priorities, the province said.
The top 10 list, according to the province:
- A no-show or missed appointment is an appointment someone else could use to receive care. Set up a text notification system that reminds patients of their appointment date, time and location.
- Provide patients the option to receive appointment letters by email instead of posted mail. This would save money, reduce no-shows and missed appointments, and reduce waste.
- Allow for audiologists to send direct referrals to ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians instead of making patients go to their primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to get this referral.
- Support continuing care assistants to work to their full scope of practice (for example let them take vitals). This change would reduce the pressure on nurses who can spend that time providing better patient care.
- Install screens or monitors in all emergency departments that show publicly available wait times, public health information, and other related information about what a patient should expect in the emergency department.
- Enable hospital caller ID so patients can see when the hospital calls. Many people don’t answer unknown numbers, and if the patient doesn’t list their name in their voicemail, a message can’t be left. This creates delays in patient services.
- Stop using emergency departments for pre-operative bloodwork for patients scheduled to have a Monday morning procedure. It creates added pressure in emergency departments. Instead, offer them priority bloodwork appointments before the weekend.
- Allow patients to pre-register online by sending them a link to fill out a form in advance of their surgery or specialist appointment. This will make intake for nurses working in clinics or pre-operative settings faster.
- Develop a registration app. Patients enter their information and it generates a QR code. Clerks can scan this on arrival for their appointment. It would save time, remove data coding errors and could be linked with the new e-referral initiative.
- If you can book a diagnostic imaging appointment (MRI, ultrasound, etc.) online, you should be able to cancel online. Give patients the option to cancel these appointments online.