Choosing the Right Queue Management System for Hospitals

Long wait times in hospitals don’t just create frustration for patients. In the era of COVID-19, enduring excessive wait times in public spaces could prove dangerous.

Queue management systems for hospitals have the potential to decrease wait times and improve the satisfaction of both visitors and patients. But not all are created equally. Here’s how to choose the right system, as well as some key features to consider.

Look for a platform with a simple, intuitive design

Hospitals and healthcare practices face a difficult challenge. Not only must they manage patient appointments, they must also tactfully manage interactions during potentially sensitive, stressful times. Simplicity is critical to overseeing queues and getting patients to their intended destinations with minimal friction.

The ideal platform should offer an intuitive design with a simple, engaging touch-based interface that can efficiently move patients from check-in to check-out within the hospital and its many departments.

Consider online appointment scheduling capabilities

While not always thought of as part of a queue management system, allowing customers to set appointments before they arrive can help keep hospital queues moving as patients arrive for their appointments.

By integrating your appointment booking system with your queue management solution (or choosing a solution from Engagis that comes with this capability), you may be able to minimise bottlenecks at check-in kiosks — something that’s not only important for reducing wait times, but also for keeping patients safe during and post-COVID.

Find a Queue Management System with real-time overview

Waiting is unpleasant in general. But it can be especially difficult for hospital patients who are facing stressful situations. As a result, it’s a good idea to look for a platform that keeps them up-to-date on how long the wait will be, who is currently being served, and whose appointments have finished at a glance.

Engagis for example, offers wait time screens that showcase all upcoming appointments, displaying a live feed that keeps patients in the loop and creates a better visitor and patient experience. It can also reduce the likelihood of staff getting barraged with questions about wait time, freeing up their time for other activities.

Ideally, such solutions use large commercial grade screens that make queue activity easy for all patients to view, without having to congregate in a small area. As an example, Engagis’s medium- to large-sized LCD screens are extremely durable for use in healthcare settings (though we can also provide customised suggestions, based on your hospital’s unique needs).

Choose a platform with customisable themes

Even in hospitals, cohesive branding is crucial and factors not only into customer perception, but also into their trust in your care.

To this end, look for a queue management system that offers customisable themes and branding features, as these will allow you to change kiosks and wait time displays screens so their appearance aligns with your hospital’s branding.

Identify solutions offering in-built email notifications

As far as vital features go, email notifications can be helpful in terms of providing a convenient means of sending patients their appointment booking details and notifying them of their queue progress while on-site.

Email notifications can also be useful when sharing important information before patients arrive. If your hospital has special COVID protocols in place, for example, you may be able to use the email notification features associated with your queue management system to notify them of guidance and expectations before they arrive.

Prioritise SMS notifications

SMS notifications are also hugely beneficial for queue management systems, as they offer a means of quickly alerting patients who will be served soon in order to minimise schedule delays and disruptions. If your patients or visitors have temporarily stepped away from the waiting room – perhaps because they prefer to wait in a more secluded area – they can be notified of their status in the queue and when their providers are ready to see them.

Aim for robust analytics

Finally, consider the value of detailed reporting when it comes to your hospital’s queue management system. Many tools allow you to capture critical data points, such as number of check-ins, interactions by kiosk, and activity by date. Not only does this data make it easier to fine-tune your queue management practices, it can be vital if you ever need to conduct contract tracing following a known COVID exposure.

To learn more about how queue management systems can reshape the patient experience at your hospital, reach out to the experts at Engagis today. We can suggest a fully customised solution based on your facilities’ specific needs.