Scotland launches first interactive ‘info pods’

Patients living in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region will be able to obtain health information around the clock, after the area became the first in Scotland, to introduce electronic ‘info pods’.

The scheme is being piloted by the Scottish health board, with the new innovative patient information systems open for business at two Glasgow healthcare sites.

The ‘info pods’, the first of their kind in NHS Scotland, are new stand alone electronic information points, designed to provide patients with a range of information at the touch of a button.

The first two to open in Scotland are located in the Gartnavel General Hospital and Easterhouse Health Centre, and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing patients the opportunity to access key information easily at a single point.

If successful the new information systems will be rolled out to other NHS sites across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Patients will be able to access information on health issues including healthy eating, exercise, stopping smoking and hand hygiene, as well as relevant bus and train timetables, social work literature, health rights advice and information on services provided by the local Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP).

There is also a free standing telephone help-point which allows users to make free, direct calls to a number of organisations such as a local taxi company, Smokeline, Travel Line and at Easterhouse Health Centre users can also contact the local social work office and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Peter Hamilton, chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Involving People Committee, said: “This is an exciting project for everyone and we are delighted that through the Info Point we have the opportunity to publicise to patients, visitors and staff the services we provide.

“Anyone using the Info Point will be able to find out important information on a wide range of topics.”

Marie Barclay, East Glasgow CHCP administrator for Easterhouse & Baillieston Health Centres added: “We are delighted that Easterhouse Community Health Centre has been chosen to be one of the sites to pilot the Info Point Project.

“To be able to pull all of the information we provide for the many hundreds of people who come through our doors each week into one area will be of great benefit to us all. I hope this project will prove to be a success and we will do all we can to help make that happen.”

As this is a pilot project and the first of its kind one of the most important parts of the project is finding out what everyone thinks of the ‘info pods’ – not just the physical layout but also the content.

A face-to-face survey was carried out before the ‘info pods’ were put in place with a similar survey being carried out over the coming months to find exactly what people think.

The new systems come ahead of the anticipated launch of the Cisco HealthPresence booths in NHS Scotland, with which they aim to investigate how technology can be used to facilitate new ways of working to address the increasing pressures on healthcare services as a result of an aging population and workforce and fiscal constraints.

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Healthcare booths go on trial in Scotland