Emergency departments at the Owen Sound and Southampton hospitals will be introducing new digital technology aimed at improving the patient experience.
Brightshores Health System has announced a partnership with Toronto-based company EmergConnect to introduce an app-based digital triage process at its Owen Sound and Southampton emergency departments.
The hospital organization says in a release patients can use their devices or access a tablet in those emergency departments to enter their symptoms and share information about their medical history, before seeing a triage nurse.
“When patients come to the (emergency department) and register, it allows them to input some of their information and tell their story,” says Brightshores Research Institute Manager of Research & Innovation Rebecca Johnson. “You can use your own device, or we have devices in the emergency departments. And you download the app and it will walk you through some questions about your medical history, why you’re visiting hospital … and the answers essentially pop up on the nurses’ computers on their charts.”
“It means when you get called by the nurse to the triage station, your information is already populated in the computer,” she continues. “We’re hoping this allows nurses to spend more time caring for our patients, and also can enhance the patient experience.”
Johnson says the emergency department experience in Southampton and Owen Sound will still begin with patients registering upon arrival, before being offered the option to use the EmergConnect app.
“While you’re waiting to be called to triage, this is when you can download the app or use one of the devices we provide,” Johnson explains.
Patients who cannot or do not wish to use the EmergConnect app can share their information directly with a triage nurse when they arrive at the emergency department, a release from Brightshores says.
The digital addition to the triage process at the Owen Sound and Southampton hospitals is being rolled out as a pilot for three months, Johnson says. After that, Brightshores will evaluate usage and patient satisfaction and could expand EmergConnect to all of its sites.
Brightshores Health System operates six hospitals in the Grey Bruce region: Owen Sound, Southampton, Meaford, Markdale, Wiarton and Lion’s Head.
“This new process will help an increased number of patients move through the ED more smoothly while also supporting our staff in delivering high-quality care,” Brightshores Southampton Emergency Department Manager Melissa Wnuk says in a statement. “Using the app enhances the triage process by providing the triage nurse with important patient information to support their clinical assessment.”
Another feature of the EmergConnect app that will be used at the Southampton hospital exclusively during the pilot period, is a tool that estimates wait times for patients in the emergency department.
“There are a lot of things that affect wait times, but it’s really helpful for patients to be able to estimate how long it’s going to be to be seen by a physician,” Johnson explains. “It uses a lot of information to create the most accurate, approximate wait time for patients.”
The partnership between Brightshores Health System and EmergConnect is a project funded by the Coordinated Accessible National Health Network, a federally-funded organization that works directly with leading healthcare operators to identify their most significant challenges and match them with Canadian-made technology solutions.
