Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding and limited staff availability pose ongoing challenges to healthcare efficiency. Recent advancements in automated health technologies, such as the health pod, aim to alleviate these pressures by automating vital sign measurements for low-risk patients. Over thr...

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Main Authors: Giuseppe Andreoni, Alessandra Santangelo, Riccardo Sannicandro, Alessandro Nizardo Chailly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/813
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author Giuseppe Andreoni
Alessandra Santangelo
Riccardo Sannicandro
Alessandro Nizardo Chailly
author_facet Giuseppe Andreoni
Alessandra Santangelo
Riccardo Sannicandro
Alessandro Nizardo Chailly
author_sort Giuseppe Andreoni
collection DOAJ
description Emergency department (ED) overcrowding and limited staff availability pose ongoing challenges to healthcare efficiency. Recent advancements in automated health technologies, such as the health pod, aim to alleviate these pressures by automating vital sign measurements for low-risk patients. Over three months, the CAPSULA Health Pod was implemented and used in a paired setting with normal triage procedures in an urban hospital ED; it demonstrated improvements in triage efficiency and patient satisfaction, aligning with evidence that supports automation as a solution in high-demand healthcare settings. With 1342 assessments across 404 patients, despite some challenges with elderly patient engagement, CAPSULA achieved excellent measurement accuracy and relevant efficiency for the first assessment of patients in crowded situations and for reassessment. The findings indicate CAPSULA’s potential to reduce patient wait times, improve workflow efficiency, and support resource-limited EDs. Although the main limitation remains IT integration, the system demonstrates scalability and potential for broader adoption.
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spelling doaj-art-fcd4b9c70b6b495bbffdd67a2ba7be252025-01-24T13:20:55ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115281310.3390/app15020813Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and PatientsGiuseppe Andreoni0Alessandra Santangelo1Riccardo Sannicandro2Alessandro Nizardo Chailly3Design Department, Politecnico di Milano, 20158 Milan, ItalyCapsula s.r.l., 20161 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Emergency and Admission, Scientific Institute “Ospedale San Raffaele”, 20132 Milan, ItalyCapsula s.r.l., 20161 Milan, ItalyEmergency department (ED) overcrowding and limited staff availability pose ongoing challenges to healthcare efficiency. Recent advancements in automated health technologies, such as the health pod, aim to alleviate these pressures by automating vital sign measurements for low-risk patients. Over three months, the CAPSULA Health Pod was implemented and used in a paired setting with normal triage procedures in an urban hospital ED; it demonstrated improvements in triage efficiency and patient satisfaction, aligning with evidence that supports automation as a solution in high-demand healthcare settings. With 1342 assessments across 404 patients, despite some challenges with elderly patient engagement, CAPSULA achieved excellent measurement accuracy and relevant efficiency for the first assessment of patients in crowded situations and for reassessment. The findings indicate CAPSULA’s potential to reduce patient wait times, improve workflow efficiency, and support resource-limited EDs. Although the main limitation remains IT integration, the system demonstrates scalability and potential for broader adoption.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/813hospital emergency departmenthealthcare process efficiencypatient satisfactionhealth podautomated triagevital sign self-measurement
spellingShingle Giuseppe Andreoni
Alessandra Santangelo
Riccardo Sannicandro
Alessandro Nizardo Chailly
Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
Applied Sciences
hospital emergency department
healthcare process efficiency
patient satisfaction
health pod
automated triage
vital sign self-measurement
title Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
title_full Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
title_fullStr Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
title_full_unstemmed Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
title_short Health Pods for Automated Triage Improve Efficiency and Satisfaction in Nurses and Patients
title_sort health pods for automated triage improve efficiency and satisfaction in nurses and patients
topic hospital emergency department
healthcare process efficiency
patient satisfaction
health pod
automated triage
vital sign self-measurement
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/813
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