What is Smartcare Pro?
Imagine entering a hospital and 20 minutes later you are out feeling fit and smiling. Cool right?
You do not need a book anymore to visit a health facility.
Ministry of Health Zambia has introduced a computer system called SmartCare Pro that helps to ease stress and the struggle of dealing with patients manually.
In previous cases, for you to get attended to at a hospital, you needed a book or a file that a clinician uses to come up with a record.
There was trouble retrieving files/books at the registry as it took time and energy to do so.
However, it's a story of the past. The system has been designed in such a way that a patient will have a unique record in the system and can be accessed from anywhere in the country.
The process needs taking-in the person's details and register before seeing a clinician.
Your personal demographic information, vitals signs, and everything is recorded so a clinician can proceed from to next level of care.
In today's article, I will explain what you need, the process, and the advantages of the system, and also answer common questions that patients may ask about it.
The process to get registered
This free system makes sure to capture all the patients who come to seek health attention:
Test for HIV, give birth, collect medicines when they are sick, and do anything that requires them to be attended to at the hospital.
The first step requires a registry clerk to search for your name or number in the system.
Then if you do not exist, they will register you and do the needful in readiness to have your service needs satisfied.
The vital signs and other requirements are done at the registry before you are assigned to the next step/office.
Sick people are later assigned to the screening room or clinician's office and later to a lab or to the pharmacy if no laboratory investigations are needed.
Smart Care Pro is for all types of patients who visit the clinic/hospital.
Which health facilities use smart care pro?
Many hospitals and clinics in Zambia are using Smart Care Pro. Let me say all the health facilities shall have the system set.
However, the process of establishing seems to be ongoing till all the facilities implement it.
Do not be surprised when you find your details already known by a hospital in the eastern province when you got registered first in Lusaka.
It’s important to tell the truth because the system also uses biometrics to identify a patient.
This is for the goodness of your care at each level of the health facility in Zambia.
Requirements for patients to get registered?
Well. For you to get registered in the system you need your full name, your place, a phone number, and NRC, you will also have your fingerprints recoded for biometric configurations.
You no longer need books or plain papers to access health services. You will need to stay true to your details collected for easy processing of your records in the system.
The health system maintains confidentiality for its client hence you need not worry about anything.
Benefits of using Smartcare Pro in Zambia.
The system has brought faster and more effective ways to attend to patients at health facilities.
Using files/books used to take not less than 10 to 20 minutes for the patient to finally see a clinician. Imagine the process was even longer if it has been months since you visited the clinic.
Some patients could take as long as 2 hours to leave the clinic. For Smart Care Pro you get seen and end all your sessions within 20 minutes.
Due to reduced time spent at the facility, the patients can have enough time to attend to their personal businesses.
There is effective and timely reporting for planning purposes.
Patients' costs on books will also be reduced as you will only need to present your number to the registry clerk and also the clinician in some cases.
For the clinicians, the system has already been fed with the information, and all you need to do is tick and assess a diagnosis and treatment for your patient.
Which patients use Smart Care Pro in Zambia?
The system is great such that it captures all departments at a health facility.
Registry, Clinician's office, pharmacy, mother and child health department, ART (HIV/AIDS department), and Laboratory.
The system covers all the needs of patient handling at the hospital and clinics.
Any type of disease or complaints are accommodated by the Smart Care Pro.
What if I forget my phone number or change location?
Okay. It's possible to change our current residential address but that should not make you worried.
Sometimes people tend to change phone numbers for reasons known to themselves but it should not give them stress in connection with seeking health services under a smart care system.
All you need is to go to the nearest facility and have your details updated.
We are assured that the biometrics and NRC will remain intact only if you lose fingers.
If you forget the phone number you can still provide the NRC for the hospital to retrieve your health records from the system.
Mothers or fathers can have their children registered under the NRC or Phone numbers that themselves registered with.
All names both for the children and parents registered under the same NRC or phone number will appear in the Smart Care Pro.
Summary.
Amartcarepro is an effective computer system that makes keeping patients' records easy and makes it easy for the health staff to attend to patients faster.
The system will also minimize duplicating patients receiving the same care at different health facilities.
With the good reporting system generated by Smart Care Pro, planners in the health sector will have a true picture of the essential commodities and other logistics for the better management of the health care system in the country.
Important: If you have no NRC or Phone number you can still register using your parent, brother sister, or guardians.
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