Use of a kiosk-model self-triage system for COVID-19 triage

Abstract

Purpose: Pandemics put healthcare workers (HCWs) at risk of infections, making emergency department (ED) triage critical. This study aims to compare smart innovative self-kiosk triage (SKT) with routine triage (RT). Patients and Methods: COVID-19-suspected ED patients enrolled. Volunteers received RT after completing SKT. The key outcomes were HCW exposure and total exposure time (TET). Secondary outcomes included participants' satisfaction with SKT. Results: The study included 115 patients with a mean age of 32.54 +/- 10.84 years old. SKT significantly reduced HCW exposures (median 0 [IQR 0-1] vs 2 [IQR 2-3], p<0.0001) and triage time (median 3 [IQR 2-3] vs 8 [IQR 5-10] minutes, p<0.0001), compared to RT. Elevated body temperature increased RT time (p=0.003), while higher education levels reduced SKT time (p=0.019). Oxygen saturation influenced HCW exposure in both methods, with higher saturation decreasing HCW exposure during RT (p=0.008) and increasing it during SKT (p=0.017). A PCR-positive status was associated with increased RT time but fewer HCW exposures. 80.0% of participants completed SKT independently. The majority of participants (72.8-82.9%) agreed or strongly agreed, based on a 4-point Likert scale, that the SKT procedure was user-friendly (mean score: 3.40 +/- 1.08), with clear instructions (3.35 +/- 1.16), easy-to-use oximetry and thermometer (3.12 +/- 1.29 and 3.31 +/- 1.16, respectively), and a reasonable time requirement (3.37 +/- 1.23). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that emergency department self-kiosk triage can minimize medical staff exposure and time spent with COVID-19-risk patients, without compromising patient satisfaction.