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Ramsay launches new covid-19 screening tool

August 03, 2020

Ramsay Health Care is launching a new smartphone tool to streamline the COVID-19 screening process for visitors, patients and health care workers at its Australian hospitals, clinics and day surgeries.

The robust screening system requires a person to scan a unique QR code – using the camera function on their smart phone – before they enter the facility.

They will be asked to answer some simple questions about any possible exposure to COVID-19, such as:

  • Have you been cleared following a positive COVID-19 test?
  • Have you been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days?
  • Have you been formally identified as a close contact of a confirmed case?
  • Are you unwell with any cold or flu like symptoms including: fevers, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea, night sweats or chills, or acute respiratory infection including cough shortness of breath or sore throat?
  • Have you travelled to an identified hotspot, returned from overseas or from a cruise in the last 14 days?

Once they have answered all questions, their phone will display either a green or amber colour:

  • If the scan returns a green colour, the person can show a Ramsay staff member their result and enter the facility.
  • If the scan returns an amber colour, the person will need to speak to a staff member to determine why they have received that result and whether it is safe for them to enter the facility.

The screening tool is designed to help stop the spread of COVID-19, minimise disruptions and streamline the entry process for patients, visitors, doctors and staff alike.

Previously patients and visitors had to be individually interviewed at each Ramsay facility about their possible exposure to COVID-19, and this had unfortunately led to some delays.

Ramsay’s IT team has been working hard to roll out the technology quickly, given the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales.

The questions and instructions are also currently being translated into five other languages to assist people for whom English is not their first language. They are: Chinese, French, Arabic, Vietnamese and Italian.

The COVID-19 screening tool is also a great asset for Ramsay Health Care heading into the future, with visitor numbers expected to increase as elective surgery capacity improves.

Each Ramsay facility across the country will have its own unique QR scan code and patient and visitor data will be stored safely and securely. The QR code will be displayed on signage outside the entry points of all Ramsay facilities.

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