Professor Doctor Fernando Fonseca Hospital
Patients will be able to undergo diagnostic tests, begin therapy and even have results available before entering a medical office. AI allows for a reduction of up to one hour in the length of stay in the Emergency Room. 85% of General Emergency users should benefit from the new service.
Hospital Fernando Fonseca (Amadora-Sintra) began this Tuesday an unprecedented pilot project in the country to reorganize the screening and route of some patients in the Emergency Department.
The novelty translates into a new golden bracelet which identifies users referred to an automated circuit, supported by and intended for less complex cases, according to the newspaper.
The gold bracelet is awarded after the initial assessment by the triage nurse, but only patients who, under the usual system, would receive a blue, green or yellow bracelet and that meet the conditions to continue with autonomy.
The circuit operates, for now, between 10am and 8pm and aims to relieve pressure on the General Emergency Servicereducing waiting times and improving the patient experience.
In the new route, the user fills out a digital clinical questionnaire, on their cell phone or at a kiosk installed in the service. In around 10 to 15 minutes, the information is analyzed by the system, which generates a clinical note and a treatment proposal. This proposal is then validated by a doctor, maintaining clinical supervision in the final decision.
One of the most relevant changes is the possibility of, before the first medical observation, the patient undergoing complementary diagnostic tests and/or starting therapy suggested by the system. In practice, when you enter the office, you may already have tests ordered and carried out and, in some cases, results available — an anticipation that, according to those responsible, speeds up diagnosis and initial treatment.
The hospital describes the “Integrated Care Pathway” as based on clinical algorithms based on scientific evidence and integrated into the Emergency Department software, accessible to the entire medical team. The platform, adds the institution, is a certified medical device and meets European quality and safety standards.
Still in its initial phase, the project is expected to allow a reduction of up to one hour in the length of stay in the emergency room for covered patients. The global assessment is scheduled for the end of January, when less pressure associated with flu activity is expected. If the results are positive, the plan involves progressively extending opening hours, with the ambition of operating 24 hours a day. Hospital accounts indicate that around 85% of users of General Emergency may, in the future, benefit from this circuit.
The measure is part of a set of efforts to improve access to one of the country’s largest emergencies: Amadora-Sintra, which receives around 450 adult visits per day and directly serves a population of 570,000 inhabitants.
