In a new move by the Capital District Health Authority, patients arriving for specialist appointments in certain hospital departments will no longer have extensive waits at the registration desk.

The Chronicle-Herald reports that the installation of new automated check-in kiosks at the Halifax Infirmary and Victoria General sites are part of the province's plan to improve efficiency and cut down on wait times. The kiosks are very similar to ones you might see at an airport check-in area, with patients swiping their health card and answering a series of questions on touch-screens. If you need a doctor's note for your employer the machine will ask if you'd like one printed out.

So far the kiosks are available for check-in to neurology, respirology, plastics and orthopedics and feedback has been positive from patients using the new service — though there is a learning curve, according to the article.

Response from hospital employees has been mixed, with one employee telling the Herald that hours for registration desk clerks have been cut back since the new machines were installed and she and some of her colleagues have had to find work in other areas of the hospital.

Tell us what you think Haligonia: Automated check-in kiosks — a step in the right direction?

Read the full article here: http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/metro/35430-self-serve-hospital-kiosks-let-patients-check-themselves