3-month impact of digital triage – Homerton
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has one of the best performing Emergency Departments in the country. Despite this, the Trust were keen to continue to drive performance and patient experience improvements. The Trust signed a deal with eConsult Health to implement the digital triage solution ‘eTriage’, which was implemented on 29 June 2022.
In order to understand the impact of these changes, eConsult Health commissioned Moorhouse Consulting to undertake an independent review prior to and following eTriage implementation. The initial onsite review took place over a 3-day period in October 2021 ahead of eTriage implementation to gather baseline information. Following eTriage go-live in June 2022, a post-implementation 3-day review took place in October 2022.
A snapshot of the report can be viewed below. Click here to download the summary report.
Key impact findings:
- 11-minute reduction in pre-registration queue wait during busy ED periods
- 14% reduction in nurse triage assessment duration
- 100% of staff felt eTriage had a positive impact on patient flow and patient safety
- 82% of staff felt they were able to carry out their role more effectively with eTriage
- 92% of patients felt their privacy when using eTriage was improved
Background: Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an integrated care trust in Hackney, East London. The Trust provides general health services at hospital and in the community, with acute services from a single site: Homerton University Hospital.
Homerton is considered to have an excellent Emergency Department and Urgent Care Pathway, having been rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as ‘outstanding’ for two consecutive inspections.
The Trust serves a diverse and growing local population across Hackney, the City of London and surrounding boroughs in East London. Hackney itself has a relatively young population, with roughly 25% of residents under 20 years old and people aged over 55 making up 18% of the population. Around 40% of the population come from Black and Minority Ethnic groups and at least 89 different languages are spoken in the borough.
What is eTriage:
eTriage was designed by eConsult Health and is an intelligent and automated patient triage digital solution developed by clinicians to help NHS Emergency Departments and Urgent Treatment Centres prioritise patients upon arrival. By means of a self registration process, eTriage collects patient comprehensive histories, supports the streaming process and patient flow. It facilitates early identification of sick patients and reduces the general waiting time for emergency treatment, all resulting in improved waiting room safety, improved patient journeys and improved satisfaction.
eTriage is currently live in eight NHS Urgent & Emergency Departments or Urgent Treatment Centres including Homerton ED, St Richard’s Hospital and Chichester Hospital ED, and Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup UTC. There are also with plans to go-live in 10 further sites across 5 clients including University Hospital Birmingham and Aneurin Bevan Health Board.
How can digital triage improve Emergency Department patient flow:
Emergency Departments across the country have been grappling with waiting times and although Homerton is one of the best-performing EDs in the country, the Trust were keen to continue to look to drive performance and improve the patient experience.
The Trust agreed to roll out eTriage and went live with the digital triage solution in June 2022. In conjunction with eTriage go-live, the ED team developed new triage assessment forms on the Cerner Millennium system and redesigned a new triage process to support the flow of patients. eConsult Health commissioned Moorhouse Consulting to conduct an independent review to
understand the early impact of eTriage at Homerton Hospital. Moorhouse Consulting conducted a pre and post-implementation review using mixed methods to combine quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis in October 2021 and October 2022. This report concludes the findings from the review.
Get the report
You can download the full independent 3 month impact assessment report that Moorhouse Consulting published by clicking on the button below.
eConsult Health commissioned Moorhouse
Consulting to undertake an independent review prior to and following eTriage implementation. The initial onsite review took place over a 3-day period in October 2021 ahead of eTriage implementation to gather baseline information. Following eTriage go-live in June 2022, a post implementation 3-day review took place in October 2022.