Emergency Department App

 

Emergency Department App

Project Lead: Dr. Kendall Ho

An unexpected visit to the Emergency Department (ED) invariably raises many anxious questions for any patient: What’s my diagnosis? Am I safe to go home? How can I prevent returning to the ED? Meanwhile, ED health professionals want to communicate better with patients and family to ease discomfort and anxiety, yet have limited time with each patient.

Dr. Kendall Ho’s team proposes to develop an app that enhances patient-health professional communication to dramatically transform the patient experience in the ED. The app will gather and organize information to provide patients with their diagnosis, treatment and discharge instructions, and facilitate follow ups. It will also track real-time ED patient volume and speed of flow to anticipate wait times and avoid overcrowding in our hospitals.

Building on the work of Dr. Ho’s team to date in supporting patients with heart failure transitioning between ED, hospital and home, this new app can further solve a global health challenge to improve patients’ understanding of their diseases, shorten their ED length of stay and decrease unnecessary ED revisits.

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