Mobile Admission Process and Administrative Turnaround Time of Hospitalisation for Outpatients: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study compared the time efficiency of the hospital admission process using mobile devices versus traditional walk-in methods and assessed the usability of the mobile admission process. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in South Korea (August 2022–January 2023). It compared the turnaround time of the walk-in and mobile admission processes. Patients were divided into mobile and walk-in groups based on the admission process method. Timestamp data were collected based on the flow of patients or caregivers during the admission process and extracted by examining patients’ electronic medical record log time or caregivers' electronic signatures on consent forms. Patients' arrival time at the ward was determined by referencing the log time in nursing records. Time intervals between timestamp data were calculated and compared. A questionnaire survey using the 10-item System Usability Scale was conducted with mobile admission users. Results: The study enrolled 4,344 patients to compare the turnaround time and demographics of the mobile (n = 1,336) and walk-in (n = 3,008) admission processes. The mobile admission process had a significantly shorter turnaround time of 13.4 min compared to 22.2 min for the walk-in process. Female and younger patients, and those admitted to surgery departments were likelier to use the mobile process. Older patients were less likely to undergo mobile admissions. Linear regression analysis showed that these factors significantly affected the usability of the mobile device admission process. Female and surgery patients used the mobile admission process significantly more frequently, whereas older adults used the mobile process significantly less frequently. The System Usability Scale for mobile admission users showed a good usability score (mean 74.4). Conclusions: The mobile admission process can reduce the task completion time compared to the traditional walk-in admission process owing to its superior usability.