Reducing Wait Times and Improving Patient Satisfaction using Contactless Vital Sign Monitoring – The Future of Ambulatory Clinic

Md Shahnoor Amin, Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, United States (mamin3@hfhs.org)
Olivia Coiado, Bioengineering, University Of Illinois, Urbana-champaign, Urbana, United States
Mohammed Islam, Electrical Engineering, University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States

One of the most persistent patient complaints in ambulatory clinic settings (accounting for 25% of U.S. healthcare expenditure) is the long wait time to see a provider. Long wait times force physicians to spend less time with each patient, the combination of the two leading to detrimental reduction in patient satisfaction¹. Total waiting time (waiting room + exam room wait times) can be up to 42 minutes or longer to see the provider². This is exacerbated if there are complicated patients in the patient queue, resulting in further delays. Physicians find themselves dedicating precious minutes at the start of every appointment explaining their tardiness, a practice that can gradually erode their mental health.

Contactless physiological monitoring systems enable quick quantification of pertinent vital signs at a distance, which is beneficial if the patient has a viral illness that can further spread to others³. During COVID-19, infrared thermography was employed in various settings to quarantine patients based on fever, but it can be affected by antipyretic use⁵. It also requires close patient proximity to the sensor. An alternate approach uses a visible RGB camera to measure body temperature, heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR) using       ⁵. It was tested on patients with symptoms of influenza and dengue fever, with sensitivity of up to 98%⁵.

 

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Short Biography of Presenting Author

Dr. Md Shahnoor Amin is a resident physican (internal medicine) at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, USA. He has extensive experience in combining patient care, innovation, and analytical technologies. He holds 11+ patents in engineering and safety technologies. He received his M.D. from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his PhD from the George Washington University.