Receiving COVID-19 test results just got easier for patients in Northern NSW, who can now use their mobile phones, and an individual QR code, to automatically set up an SMS process to deliver their results.
All four hospital testing clinics in the region are introducing the QR code system to simplify the way in which results are provided.
“Using this new process, we’re reducing both the time taken for a patient to register for the SMS result notification, and the possibility of data being incorrect or mismatched,” Wayne Jones, Chief Executive Northern NSW Local Health District, said.
“It’s now a one-step scan, rather than having to enter multiple pieces of personal information over a series of text messages,” he added.
“For our community members who may speak another language, it will help reduce barriers for them to register to receive their results via SMS. If patients need help to register, our clinic staff are right there and can walk them through the process.”
QR codes simplify processes
Patients who have used the new QR code system at Lismore Base Hospital have said it was ‘much easier’ and far more ‘user-friendly’.
A collaboration between eHealth NSW, NSW Health Pathology and Clinical Information System teams from Northern NSW Local Health District, the project has been several months in development.
NSW Health Pathology Chief Information Officer, James Patterson, said “this innovative generation of a personalised QR code in real-time is really helping NSW Health Pathology help our patients. Not only does it reduce the cost of sending a patient result but because the code is generated from the patient’s own PAS record, it eliminates any possibility of a mismatch between the PAS and what the patient may type into the system. We have seen error rates drop from 6 per cent to 0 per cent where the personalised QR is used. The system not only saves time and cost for NSW Health Pathology, it also speeds up results for patients.”
There are more than 300 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. To find your nearest clinic visit www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others/clinics or contact your GP.
It’s worth noting, private pathology providers may deliver results differently, so it is important for people to check with the clinic where they are tested for their preferred notification service.
