"No Waiting" in the "Waiting Room": The Self-rooming Patient Pilot Study

Although patient timeliness and appointment flow are highly important for patients and practices, the impact of technology on improving these aspects of healthcare delivery are not widely studied. We evaluated the satisfaction and acceptability of using a handheld internet-enabled tablet computer (the Mobile Patient Communicator (MPC)) that uses interactive maps, and visual and written instructions to direct patients from waiting rooms to exam rooms independently of medical personnel.

At the time of appointment check-in, eligible patients attending their healthcare appointments at a family medicine practice received the MPC that provided them an online orientation about its use and function. The MPC directed patients to their assigned exam rooms. Patients completed pre-/post-visit surveys. We used Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for numeric variables and Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables.

Among 200 participated patients, the median level of satisfaction was 9 (1=not at all, 10= very much satisfied), 177 (91%) were successful in finding their room, and 147 (76%) thought the device should be used in the future. Prior to using the MPC, patients ≥65 years old were less comfortable with using the device (median 7 vs. 9; P=0.001), expected to have more problems operating the device (yes 6% vs. 1%; P=0.002), and were less likely to use a computer daily (yes 51% vs. 91%; P<0.001) vs. <65 years old. After using the MPC, patients ≥65 years old were less satisfied with using the device (median 8 vs. 10; P=0.001) but were more likely to watch the video on the device (yes 70% vs. 54%; P=0.04) vs. <65 years old.  Conclusion: The pilot results show evidence that using this technology for self-rooming by patients is highly acceptable regardless of age and sex. The findings also indicate this technology was helpful in delivering health care-related information before face-to-face appointments.