Revolutionising a Visit to the GP
Visits to the GP are an essential part of life, one that too many of us put off. Our community clinics do wonderful work, however there are a few ways advancing technology can make a trip to the doctor a little easier for everyone.
Where GP Clinics Need to Improve
The things people don’t like about visiting the GP (aside from some awkward conversations) are pretty much common ground for everyone. Wait times, GPs running late unless you’ve got the 8:30am appointment (through no fault of their own), and the lack of clarity around queue positioning all rank highly on what we’re not so fond of about doctor’s appointments.
Thankfully, these can all be either solved or at least eased with advancements in technology and digital signage solutions that house them. When used smartly, these solutions can vastly improve the visitors’ experience at the clinic.
How Digital Signage Can Revolutionise GP Visits
Digital signage solutions can have an immense impact in doctor’s surgeries through both hardware and software alike. Together, smartly-used digital hardware coupled with up-to-date software solutions can be deployed to ease a number of issues in community healthcare settings, such as offering transparency on GP wait times and more effectively communicating health messaging in the age of COVID-normal.
These changes can revolutionise how the public relate to their GP before they’re ushered into the office.
Visitor Check-In
As we slowly transition into a COVID-safe world, visitor check-in will still need to be a primary focus in healthcare. Ensuring public safety is obviously incredibly important, especially in settings such as doctors’ surgeries.
Using kiosks for visitor check-in can easily maintain COVID-safe protocols including social distancing and contact tracing, while freeing up staff for other duties as required. These kiosks have been used as part of NSW health’s COVID-19 vaccination drive at mass clinics such as Homebush and Qudos Bank Arena, and can be equally effective for visitor management in smaller healthcare settings.
Queue Management
Digital check-in systems and QR code usage makes it possible to improve how GP clinics undertake queue management. This includes the potential for live queue updates via visitors’ mobile devices, with information such as queue position and estimated wait time. Engagis’ queue management solutions have an optional booking platform which allows visitors to book an appointment online, then check-in via kiosk or staff upon arrival at the clinic. Furthermore, technology can facilitate the ability to send text updates when patients are near the front of the queue, allowing them to continue about their day or wait elsewhere in a COVID-safe manner.
Digital signage and queue management solutions have the potential to vastly improve the experience of a trip to the doctor. To find out more, contact us today.
