A new digital self-service system at a Lanarkshire hospital has been unveiled in a bid to enhance patient experience and reduce unnecessary delays.
The ‘e-triage’ system at University Hospital Monklands will go live at the end of the month – through a series of check-in kiosks installed in the emergency department.
It is hoped the new system – once rigorous testing and staff training is carried out to ensure a safe and smooth rollout – will speed up the process, where patients wait for a triage nurse to be assessed before seeing a doctor.
Claire Ritchie, interim director of NHS Lanarkshire’s interface directorate, said: “The introduction of eTriage is a proactive step to enhance patient experience, prioritising those in most urgent need while minimising unnecessary delays.
“Importantly, this system will support and enhance our existing processes — not replace them — ensuring that emergency care teams have better visibility and coordination.”
Currently, patients check in at reception, wait to be assessed by a triage nurse, and then wait again for medical review. eTriage provides an additional option that streamlines this process by capturing key information — usually gathered at reception and during triage — from the outset, giving clinicians what they need from the moment the patient checks in.
eTriage is an easy-to-use but advanced system that allows patients to self-register when they arrive at an emergency department. It supports clinicians by capturing key patient information at the point of arrival, enabling faster assessment and better prioritisation of care. eTriage will support and enhance existing processes, not replace them. The existing check-in process remains for those who do not want, or are unable to, use the kiosks.
eTriage will first go live at University Hospital Monklands, followed by a phased rollout to University Hospital Wishaw and University Hospital Hairmyres. This marks the first implementation of its kind in Scotland, following successful rollouts in several NHS trusts in England and Wales.