In a post COVID-19 world, we have seen a complete turn in expectations around visitor and access control systems. COVID-19 showed the glaring need for reduced/ no-touch options when interacting in high-volume facilities. Healthcare facilities in particular can be a hotbed of contagious disease and is therefore one industry in particular that is in need of drastically reduced contact and streamlined enrolment processes for visitors. This article will highlight the benefits of implementing a biometric visitor management system in healthcare facilities such as doctors rooms, clinics and hospitals.
Biometric visitor management systems were designed to replace the archaic hand-written logbooks of past. Within the healthcare industry they serve the particularly important function of streamlining enrolment and self check-in processes for patients, workforce management for hospital staff and controlling visitor and contractor access on-site.
Patient Self Check-In
Generally patients have to interface with a many administrative staff before they can even access a healthcare practitioner. This increases the risk of undiagnosed health conditions potentially spreading in and amongst hospital staff.
By decreasing the need for face-to-face interaction and allowing patients to self check-in upon entering a healthcare facility, you greatly reduce the risk of disease spreading. Patients may find the option of enrolling online easier and quicker than the old tedious process of paperwork registration. This also allows for increased accuracy of capturing patient information and their medical history.
Reduce Administrative Costs
By adopting a tech-based system and going paper-less one can reduce the administrative headache of paperwork as well as the cost of employees dedicated solely to enrollments and registration processes.
Confidentiality and Data Security
By inputting information online, one can reduce the need for written information being kept on file and being potentially accessed by unauthorized persons.
Streamline Access to Information
By keeping patient information cloud-based it will allow for far more efficient information sharing between doctors, hospital administrators and medical aids or with government health officials in the case of the public health system. This also allows for patient records to be tracked easily.
COVID-19 & Other Infectious Diseases
Self check-in kiosks help greatly in maintaining social distance between patients, doctors, visitors and staff. The system is quick and efficient therefore reducing the need for queues and making it easier to dispense the correct information to the right person. The system also has a built in COVID-19 functionality to gage a visitor’s potential exposure to COVID-19.
Exceptionally fast Return on Investment (ROI)
The self-check-in kiosks are always at work, never take any leave, and work 24 hours a day without requiring overtime. As each kiosk can typically replace at least 2 and often 3 staff member shifts, the savings generated from this can ensure ROI is very quickly achieved.
Visitors and Contractors
The visitor management kiosks also include a card printer that can dispense visitor badges which contain vital information that make it easy for hospital staff to identify persons on site and their purpose. This is particularly important in hospitals with heavily restricted areas that house expensive equipment or restricted medical sites with vulnerable patients.
General Perception
Systems that increase productivity and efficiency boost visitor perception, user experience as well as general staff morale. A visitor management kiosk that is well branded improves the overall appearance of a space and denotes a feeling of professionalism.
In an industry as security and safety conscious as the healthcare industry, the adoption of a visitor management system is an absolute necessity in ensuring your systems are more efficient and less time consuming while ensuring the safety of all those within the facility.
Contact us about how your doctors’ rooms, clinic or hospital can gain the benefits of a visitor management system.