eConsult Health and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Forge New Partnership to Enhance Patient Triage and Safety
eConsult Health, a leading digital triage provider, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to integrate its cutting-edge eTriage technology into the hospital’s Emergency Department. The eTriage technology is designed to streamline and prioritize patient registration, with the goal of enhancing the hospital’s ability to meet the government-set target of initially assessing walk-in patients within 15 minutes.
eTriage is a state-of-the-art electronic registration check-in service that utilizes algorithm-based questions about patient symptoms to swiftly identify the most critical cases and categorize walk-ins into five different priority categories (P1 – P5). By facilitating the prioritization and triage of patients arriving at Kingston’s Emergency Department, the technology is expected to reduce initial assessment waiting times, ultimately enhancing patient safety.
As part of the agreement, eTriage will seamlessly integrate with the hospital’s existing workflows through Cerner Millennium capabilities. This integration will eliminate pre-registration queues, reduce registration times, automate triage, and increase the proportion of patients seen for initial assessment within the 15-minute target. Moreover, the partnership aims to free up clinical time, resulting in logistical and efficiency benefits for the Trust.
Dr. Mark Harmon, Strategy Director at eConsult, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing the importance of putting patient safety at the heart of healthcare delivery. He underscored the potential for the collaboration to support clinical and administrative staff in managing increased demand during challenging times, such as the upcoming winter season.
In addition to its eTriage technology, eConsult’s Smart Inbox feature will enhance communication between patients and clinical staff, leading to more accurate and efficient triaging. The collaboration between eConsult Health and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust exemplifies the ongoing digital transformation within the NHS to improve patient care and safety.
