Top Ten Health Care Suggestions from Staff
The people of Nova Scotia have selected the top ten ideas in the Healthcare Improvement Challenge.
The contest, launched in October, received more than 2,200 submissions from healthcare providers and people in jobs linked to healthcare across Nova Scotia.
The suggestions were winnowed to twenty then put to the vote by citizens. Public voting opened on December 20 and closed on January 8, with 20,392 votes.
Voters were allowed to select three from the 20 ideas that made the cut. More technology, better communication, and new ways of working are among the top ideas selected in the voting.
Premier Tim Houston said, “The people who know our healthcare system best told us what common-sense, low-cost and easy-to-implement improvements we could make, and Nova Scotians chose those they felt would have the biggest impact.” Houston added, “The votes are in and now it’s time for us to get to work to make them happen.”
The top ten vote-getters are:
- If you can book a diagnostic imaging appointment (MRI, ultrasound, etc.) online, you should be able to cancel online. Give patients the option to cancel these appointments online.
- Develop a registration app. Patients enter their information and it generates a QR code. Clerks can scan this on arrival for their appointment. It would save time, remove data coding errors and could be linked with the new e-referral initiative.
- Allow patients to pre-register online by sending them a link to fill out a form in advance of their surgery or specialist appointment. This will make intake for nurses working in clinics or pre-operative settings faster.
- Stop using emergency departments for pre-operative bloodwork for patients scheduled to have a Monday morning procedure. It creates added pressure in emergency departments. Instead, offer them priority bloodwork appointments before the weekend.
- Enable hospital caller ID so patients can see when the hospital calls. Many people don't answer unknown numbers, and if the patient doesn't list their name in their voicemail, a message can't be left. This creates delays in patient services.
- Install screens or monitors in all emergency departments that show publicly available wait times, public health information, and other related information about what a patient should expect in the emergency department.
- Support continuing care assistants to work to their full scope of practice (for example let them take vitals). This change would reduce the pressure on nurses who can spend that time providing better patient care.
- Allow for audiologists to send direct referrals to ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians instead of making patients go to their primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to get this referral.
- Provide patients the option to receive appointment letters by email instead of posted mail. This would save money, reduce no-shows and missed appointments, and reduce waste.
- 10.A no-show or missed appointment is an appointment someone else could use to receive care. Set up a text notification system that reminds patients of their appointment date, time and location.
Officials noted that any of the ideas could be put to use, not just the top ten.
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