How to use CHIME to support clinicians that see multiple patients in parallel
In some clinic settings, physicians prefer to see patients in parallel. For example, an MD might:
Start with Patient 1, give instructions (e.g., undressing).
Move on to Patient 2, address their needs.
Return to Patient 1 after seeing Patient 2.
This type of workflow involves multiple patients being roomed simultaneously, with the physician moving between them. Here's how CHIME can support this workflow.
Seeing Multiple Patients Simultaneously
Checking in Multiple Patients:
CHIME allows a single physician to check in with multiple patients at the same time. This means that the physician can move between rooms without needing to check out of one patient’s room before entering another. The rooms would remain in the blue state. As this workflow doesn't involve anyone else, the MD is free to move between both patients.
No Issues with Parallel Patient Management: In this workflow, CHIME does not prevent the physician from moving between rooms. The physician can continue working with Patient 1 while simultaneously being checked in with Patient 2, and then return to Patient 1 as needed.
State of the Rooms: Both rooms will stay in the blue state (indicating the physician is engaged) as long as no other clinician needs to interact with the patient. This workflow works seamlessly without additional interventions if no issues arise.
Customizing for Workflow Clarity
If your clinic anticipates potential challenges with this parallel patient management (e.g. confusion for the physician or clinic staff), CHIME can accommodate some adjustments.
Option 1: Add a Task e.g. "MD to Return"
To help remind the physician to return to Patient 1 after seeing Patient 2, we can implement an add on task such as “MD to return.” This task can be added when the physician exits Patient 1’s room.
Effect: Adding this task will change Patient 1’s room to the pink state, therefore the patient will remain in the MD's queue.
Benefits: This serves as both a visual reminder for the physician and a notification for other clinic staff that the physician is not currently in the room but will be attending to the patient soon.
Option 2: Adding Tasks for Another Clinician
If the physician's workflow involves other clinic staff (e.g. a nurse or medical assistant who needs to perform a task for Patient 1), we can create customized tasks to reflect that. For instance, the physician can schedule someone to perform an action (e.g. administering a vaccine or taking measurements) before returning to Patient 1.
Task Creation: This would involve creating a task that summons another clinician to act, and then scheduling the physician to return after the action is completed.
Customization: This task can be customized to include the name of the task, involved parties, and estimated times, depending on your clinic's needs.
Additional Configuration Options
If you plan to allow multiple patients to be checked in and roomed in parallel, you may want to review your clinic’s settings to ensure that this process runs smoothly.
Rooming Capacity: You may need to adjust the number of patients that can be assigned to a physician simultaneously. This is determined by settings such as:
Maximum Number of Waiting Patients: Set how many patients can be in the queue at once.
Room Availability: Set preferred rooms and allow for flexibility in rooming.
Check-in Timing: Configure when patients can check in relative to their appointment time.
When to Adjust Settings: If only one physician is using this workflow, there may not be a need to adjust these settings. However, if multiple physicians need to use this process, you might need to make adjustments to accommodate the flow.