The Medical Desktop (Desktop do Médico) was launched at Hospital de Santa Maria to bring cohesion and efficiency, quality and innovation. It is a powerful tool that breaks frontiers with the ordinary process of attending patients. All internal work processes and systems are computerised (medical and administrative routines). The novelty in this project lies on several aspects and goes beyond state-of-the-art in medical assistance. The breakthrough in current practice is clear. Through the Medical Desktop the doctor can see if the patient has arrived, calls for patients in the waiting room with a single click, make future appointments, prescribe medicines, check for analysis and request new ones, access to his personal agenda and access all the patient’s medical history, proposing for surgery if needed.
Description of target users and groups
Although the Medical Desktop (Desktop do Medico) is to be used by all medics and administrative personnel, the purpose of this new tool is directly linked to all citizens and to the patient's overall assistance.
Technology solution
Around this software, there are several multi-channel activities. There are PC’s in every room, ticket machines, internal mobile devices that work on VPN and the Hospital’s intranet/internet offering many other solutions. The ticket machine allows the doctor to see if his patient has arrived and is ready for appointment. With the mobile device he can call to every phone inside the Hospital to get additional information he may need. Through the internet it is possible to check for patients who requested appointments through the Hospital’s website, or by phone through our contact-center.
Main results, benefits and impacts
The significant benefits are enormous. - improved healthcare to the patients - share clinical information between health professionals - reduce errors - record, receive and give more accurate information - give accessibility - give integrative and global support to medical decisions - manage resources effectively - patient’s waiting list management - exam’s visualization Patients no longer have to wait so much in worry and anxious. Time saving procedures gives citizens the time they need for all the other important matters in the day. The costs in each appointment are much lower, and the staff needed to assist all this specialties was reduced. We have around 120 persons using the Medical Desktop (Desktop do Médico) everyday. Of course, there’s direct impact on patients lives, but also the doctor’s routine has changed for the better. It’s a new approach and a sustainable and consistent one. The margin for error has been reduced to minimal levels. There is an indirect impact in a humanized point of view. Everyone’s satisfaction has been increased and bureaucratic procedures are no longer in the way. Costs in human resources are lower and paper-free policy has reduced office material costs.
Return on investment
Return on investment: Not applicable / Not availableTrack record of sharing
Hospital de Setúbal - showed great interest in having this eSolution running. Hospital Pulido Valente - is also another evidence of shared good practice, because it wll start running this software tool shortly.
Lessons learnt
Medicine and technology can walk hand-in-hand. The margin for error has been reduced to minimal levels. There is an indirect impact in a humanized point of view. Everyone’s satisfaction has been increased and bureaucratic procedures are no longer in the way. Costs in human resources are lower and paper-free policy has reduced office material costs.
Scope: Local (city or municipality)