The Minister of Health explained his decision to use technology to deal with the long waits at hospital emergency rooms Adonis Georgiadis.

In particular, the “smart” electronic wristband is an innovation in the operation of the Emergency Departments of Public Hospitals, which the Ministry of Health wishes to introduce from the beginning of the new year, he points out.

This program will initially be implemented in large hospitals of Attica, such as “Attikon” and “Evangelismos”. Central to the program is the electronic wristband that patients will wear when they enter the emergency room and throughout their stay there.

The wristband will carry a barcode, which, when scanned, will provide immediate access to all the patient’s medical information.

“A “bracelet” will be put in and we will do “tracking” and we will see why this man has been waiting for so many hours and no one cares. This has never happened before in Greece. I have decided to deal with waiting in the Emergency Department a lot, that’s why I say that from Easter onwards you will judge Adonis Georgiadis on the issue of waiting.

The waiting in Greece is at unacceptable levels and it is not a current phenomenon, it has been for many decades. The time has come to reduce the suffering of the world”, underlined the Minister of Health in an interview on the website iatropedia.gr.

As he said, the “electronic wristband” is used in several foreign countries and mainly in hospitals in the USA. Mr. Georgiadis saw it successfully implemented in a Public Hospital in Israel, during his official visit to the country. As he recounted, upon his return to Athens, he immediately contacted the responsible deputy minister, Marios Themistokleous and IDIKA and the program began to be implemented.

The “electronic wristband”, when implemented, is expected to reduce the sense of abandonment that patients often feel in emergency room waiting rooms.

It is, in essence, a “smart” bracelet, made of soft plastic, which is placed on the patient’s wrist upon entering the hospital. It is quite reminiscent of the bracelets that are placed in maternity hospitals on newborn babies, immediately after birth.

By using a special remote network, the hospital staff will be able to “see” the wristband and with it monitor the patient’s “navigation” in the different departments of the TEP and especially the time of his waiting, so that when he exceeds the determined, to intervene to hasten its service.

This will make the patient more “visible” to the medical staff and reduce the “anxiety” and loneliness they feel during their visit to the Emergency Department.

Also, as mentioned, in the evolution of the operation, it is expected to have a barcode, which when scanned will be able to display all the patient’s medical information.

As he also mentions in his interview with journalist Gianna Soulakis, the Minister of Health has made a “personal bet” until the end of his term to put some order in the chaos of the Emergencies.

Similarly, the Hellenic Red Cross is expected to make a significant contribution, whose volunteers will take an active role in major hospitals, offering guidance and support to citizens, especially in situations of anxiety or disorientation.

The Red Cross will strengthen the operation of the services, providing practical and emotional support, while helping to organize the flow of patients.

“Their main task is to make the life of patients in the Emergency Department easier. They will welcome them and direct them where they need to go (…) We will solve these small everyday human problems with the volunteers of the Red Cross who will help the patients and make their lives easier”, noted Adonis Georgiadis.