Authors (including presenting author) :
CHUNG HHY(1), Lau MHL(1), Cheung MHH(1), Leung KKL(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
The Hospital Authority consistently takes a proactive approach in upgrading healthcare service to enhance patient journey and facilitate operational efficiency. Considering the service model transformation for public healthcare, particularly the demand for seamless operational experience in the digital age, the Hospital Authority is implementing the provision of “Smart Technology”. CQMS is one of the smart technologies – an electronic queuing system to provide real time queue information, which allows efficient patient flow and facilitates patient queue management in Allied Health Out-Patient service, in order to enhance patient experience and departmental operational efficiency.
Objectives :
This project aims to investigate patient’s satisfaction with the CQMS in their queuing process; to review their pleasantness and readiness in the utilization of smart technology in hospitals; and to explore staff’s satisfaction with the CQMS regarding operational efficiency.
Methodology :
A patient satisfaction survey and a staff satisfaction survey regarding the CQMS was conducted in the Physiotherapy Department of Kowloon Hospital from August to October 2024. A convenient sample of 90 patients who registered for Out-patient Physiotherapy service; and 20 staff were recruited for the study.
Result & Outcome :
The system was found to be effective as the study reflected the patient’s appreciation and adaptation of the use of smart technology in the queuing process. Most(94.4%) of the patients considered the CQMS to be an effective system to enhance communication with the department by providing real-time updates about their queue status through digital displays. Majority of the respondents(88.9%) agreed that the CQMS allows patients to have better time management by increasing transparency in wait times. Most(95.6%) of the patients agreed that the CQMS as a whole enhanced patient experience in the department. With the convenience gained from present experience, 95.6% of the respondents preferred to continue the reliance on the CQMS in their queuing process. This suggested that the transformation from a conventional queueing system to a smart queueing system in public healthcare was well-adapted by the majority.
The service was also found to be effective in enhancing operational efficiency. All staff agreed that the CQMS minimized administrative work, such as saving manpower for queue management. Most of the staff(90%) also reflected that the CQMS provides a better working environment with fewer patient complaints and less chaos arising regarding queue management, which improves their morale and job satisfaction to optimize healthcare service.
