The addition of touch screen technology to the health care sector has made a considerable difference in recent years. Patients can now check themselves into their hospital or doctors surgery in regards to an appointment, shortening queues, waiting times and freeing up health receptionist precious time. This also has a positive effect on stress levels concerning patient and health sector staff interactions.

Three main benefits of touch screen technology within the NHS

The system needed to be tried and tested before it was unleashed on the entire health sector. The decision was made to try out the new system at both Nottingham’s University Hospital’s blood department and the cities NHS trust. When the trial was concluded, significant improvements were noticed including:

  • Reduced waiting times-This has always been a major issue within the health sector and tops the list regarding patients complaints. The changes implemented at the hospital drastically reduced waiting times and queues and also diminished the amount of patients leaving due to long waiting times.
  • Improved patients experience and feedback-Long queues means over crowded waiting rooms and receptions, angry patients, stressed staff and negative patient feedback. The system change over in Nottingham saw a considerable reduction in these issues and lead to more positive feedback from patients, commenting on their relaxed and professional experience. As the UK also becomes a more multi-cultural society, language and cultural barriers can be a concern. The new touch screen system resolves this issue by providing an extensive range of alternative language options within the system.
  • Improved balance throughout the various NHS trust areas-Each NHS trust has a wide range of departments and aspects specialising in different areas of health and care. This particular touch screen system has a service that concentrates on load management and allows all separate areas of the department, in this case Nottingham’s blood department, to be differentiated accordingly. It also allowed for the workload to be distributed far more easily and in a more dynamic and innovative way
  • De-cluttered Filing systems and reception areas-The traditional method of booking and arriving for a doctors or hospital appointment was to physically give your name in to reception and this would be recorded in files or log books. This has always been an issue for the NHS trust as it leads to cluttered reception areas and the fear of losing important information. The new system implemented in Nottingham meant that patients no longer needed to consult the reception department and the reception itself is a far more organised and stress free area. 

The Facts

The trial saw waiting times within the Nottingham NHS trust reduced by up to 50%, proving that this innovative touch screen solution clearly works and benefits healthcare staff and patients alike. As the impact on the wider patient health sector experience is yet to be known, the touch screen system has the potential to be an important aspect of the health industry.

This article was provided by ProTouch, a UK specialist in innovative kiosk and touch screen solutions. For more information, visit their website at protouch.co.uk