Ministry of Health says “Waiting Times Portal” has been improved

The Average Waiting Times Portal was recently renewed to respond to the needs reported by citizens, health professionals and institutions, both in terms of transparency and user decision-making power, says the Ministry of Health.

“The portal provides citizens with information on waiting times in emergency services and response times for scheduled consultations and surgeries, by institution, in a single location. Citizens can, for example, consult the emergency departments of National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and find out which emergency department is closest or which one currently has the shortest waiting time or the fewest patients awaiting triage or observation,” the Government statement said.

In emergency services, the Portal presents three areas: “Waiting for Triage”, which gives the average time to perform triage in the emergency department, counting the time from admission to triage; “Waiting for 1st Observation”, which gives the average waiting time to be observed by the doctor, counting the time from triage to the 1st observation; and “Under Observation”, which gives the average time under observation, counting the time from the first observation. observation by the doctor until discharge from the emergency department. This includes, for example, the time for carrying out additional diagnostic tests (examinations) and the therapy necessary to stabilise the patient (e.g. intravenous medication).

The Waiting Times Portal represents “a technological evolution at the service of citizens, supporting decision-making and contributing to improving the quality, accessibility and transparency of health services”.

“The portal is very intuitive, allowing easy access to relevant information” reveals the Ministry, which speaks of an “adaptable and accessible design on different devices, providing quick and transparent access – Information on waiting times in emergency rooms updated every 10 minutes and information on response times for consultations and surgeries updated daily; integration with health units – Automated communication between information systems, ensuring speed in data transmission”.

“For institutions that use clinical management information systems managed by SPMS, the update is automatic. For institutions that use clinical management information systems that are not managed by SPMS, this sending is also done automatically, but the process is the responsibility of the units themselves”, says the Government.