Samsung Medical Center has started using an advanced intelligent mobile questionnaire system as part of its broader shift to a mobile-based hospital outpatient department process. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Previously, the hospital used a paper-based system for its outpatient department process, which was found to have led to poor operational efficiency and quality of data collection. 

Wonchul Cha, director of SMC's Digital Innovation Center, shared that it took them 160 seconds to prepare a paper questionnaire for each patient. Turning to a mobile questionnaire, he said, has saved them 1.6 hours a day. 

There are 14 types of mobile questionnaires SMC has developed, including those for patients with prostatomegaly, urine incontinence, interstitial cystitis, and pelvic organ prolapse, among other conditions.

Over 2,000 patients have accessed the mobile questionnaire system in the first three months of the year, said Cha. 

THE LARGER TREND

The adoption of a smart mobile questionnaire system is part of SMC's overall shift to a mobile outpatient department process which began in October last year. It claimed that it now takes five steps, down from 10, to get admitted to SMC. 

Since its beginning, SMC has pioneered processes that simplify hospitalisation. It was the first South Korean healthcare provider to set up a post-payment system a year after it was founded in 1995. Five years ago, it made the first move in the industry to remove the joint guarantor form during admission.

In other news, SMC was recently commended by the Minister of Health and Welfare for its smart logistics system, which includes the use of unmanned vehicles for personal transportation within the hospital.