Mobile Appointment Manager
Improve the arrival process and the patient experience
The Intouch Mobile Appointment Manager app has been designed to provide hospital patients with more convenience when managing their appointments, including the ability to check-in for a pre-booked appointment, and to be called to a specific clinic location - without entering the hospital, therefore improving social distancing measures.
For those patients who are already familiar with the self-check-in process using kiosks, the process will be very similar to what they have previously experienced. For those patients who have not used check-in kiosks, the interface has been designed to be intuitive and user-friendly.
Mobile patient check-in and patient calling
The Intouch Mobile Appointment Manager app enables patients to arrive themselves and be called to appointments from anywhere around the hospital. Patients are able to check-in when they are in close proximity to the hospital (such as the car park or an external waiting area) and avoid congested indoor waiting / reception areas, other patients and face-to-face contact with staff where possible. When staff are ready, patients can be called forward through the Mobile app.
Patients can download the app for their smartphone from the App Store or Google Play to arrive themselves for their appointments in complete confidentiality.
Supporting social distancing measures at Poole Hospital
Poole Hospital has mobile check-in to allow visiting outpatients to check in for a scheduled appointment using an app on their smartphone or tablet when they arrive. The initiative is part of a range of measures to support infection control practices aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19.
“Mobile check-in will help us safely manage the flow of patients in the department at any one time.”
Key features of mobile check-in
- Enable patients to check-in for their pre-booked appointments remotely (in close proximity to the hospital) and view appointment details - improving infection prevention and control measures
- Call patients for their appointments from anywhere around the hospital - enabling patients to wait in their car / an outside area for their appointment and avoid internal waiting areas
- Patients can use the service on 3G / 4G or WiFi networks
Key benefits of mobile check-in
- Reduce the duration of time patients are inside hospital buildings
- Reduce unnecessary contact between patients / patients and staff
- Reduce patient numbers in waiting rooms
- Provide patients with greater convenience surrounding their appointment
- Increase confidentiality - patients checking-in for their appointment through the
app offers patients a more confidential approach to hospital check-in than going to reception - Release staff time by reducing unnecessary administrative tasks
Improve infection prevention and control measures
The Intouch Mobile Appointment Manager app enables hospital patients to wait anywhere within a short walking distance of the appointment area (such as their car, an outdoor seating area or the hospital's coffee shop) knowing that they will be called via their app when their Trust clinical team are ready to see them - perhaps as the patient ahead of them begins their appointment.
As a result, patients can avoid internal waiting rooms and other internal areas where possible, and minimise face-to-face contact with staff and other patients, improving infection prevention and control measures.
Using the Intouch Mobile Appointment Manager also means patients can be asked, on the app, to check their demographics and confirm additional clinic related questions. Mobile can additionally relay messages from the Trust team directly to the patient.
Supporting staff COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Poole Hospital, part of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, has used Intouch with Health’s Mobile Appointment Manager to support with the coordination of its Covid-19 vaccination programme for hospital staff.
The hospital, which recently launched Mobile Appointment Manager as part of a range of measures to support infection control practices aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19, piloted the use of the platform to help manage the flow of staff through its vaccination clinics.