Ross Memorial Hospital unveils new emergency kiosks to help with check-in

Ross Memorial Hospital’s E.R. has gotten an upgrade to help streamline patient arrival. Two self-serve kiosks are now in operation to improve patient flow and support the triage nurse in decision-making.

Patients scan their health card upon arrival and input the details of their health issue from a choice of 20 options. It verifies their identity and decreases the risk of accidentally merging charts together. The system immediately uploads the information, allowing triage nurses to see who awaits treatment.

“They have the ability to then filter through those patients to see what looks like the most emergent reason,” says Jennifer Chipp-Smith, director of emergency medicine, seniors care, critical care, stroke and patient flow.

Chipp-Smith says they can note they’ve got a potential heart attack or something less urgent. “It doesn’t matter that the rolled ankle has been sitting for 20 minutes waiting for triage. The chest pain needs to come first.”

“(With) our old system patients would come in they would sit in a line, and one by one come down the triage line. But you could have your sickest patient potentially sitting last in line and you might not actually know that they’re the sickest.”

As for patients concerned about germs using the kiosks, Chip-Smith says masks and sanitizer stations are available and wipes are there to wipe the kiosks. The kiosks are also separated by barriers.  “Our environmental services team does do cleaning of the screens at intervals.”

All local hospitals including Scarborough, Lakeridge, Peterborough, Haliburton, Cobourg and Campellford are using the new system and went live at the same time.

Chipp-Smith said no jobs are being lost due to the new system — patients still need to see triage nurses after using the kiosks. “It’s another tool.”

Patients can sign up for an app called MyChart with an interface that works with the kiosk system. They can see all their own records, info from their emerge visit, discharge, follow-up, blood work and imaging. Volunteers can assist people wanting to download and use the app.

Volunteers are stationed at the kiosks during the day and security guards on duty in the evenings are trained to assist as well. Chipp-Smith says patients do not have to use the kiosks and can triage without if they wish.