New software to soon manage influx of patients at AIIMS

To reduce the long queues outside its out-patient department (OPD), Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences is developing a software under its mass management system.

The AIIMS administration has claimed that the software would reduce waiting period from an average of six hours to two hours. The project was envisaged in 2014 to improve accountability and transparency at AIIMS OPD, making it more patient-friendly.

With this facility, accessibility to doctors at AIIMS will be improved. "At present, only scheduled patients having appointment with specialised doctors are aware about the timing. But through this software, every patient coming to the hospital will get the exact timing of doctors' OPD," said an official. The integrated software is being developed at National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Tata Consultancy Services will help completing by developing processes for crowd management. The software will be active by July.

"We see an influx of around 8,000 patients a day, but we are able to admit only up to 2,000, which means that three-fourths of them have to go back. Meeting their requirements through knowledge management is, therefore, our next target. When a patient enters his symptoms online, he should be able to get information on the necessary tests required for the diagnosis," said Dr RS Tyagi, Director of NIC at AIIMS.

Moreover, AIIMS is gearing up to extend services for those patients who do not have the appointment at OPD.

"Nearly 30 per cent patients return without getting treatment. We have been chalking out a system through which these patients can get medical care and, accordingly, our new OPD will start functioning from March 2018," said Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS.