The clinical problem
A registration record may identify the patient and department without explaining the presenting complaint. The patient then repeats their story at several points. This project explores capturing the reason for attendance at the first contact.
Two ways to enter the same information
- Patient or attendant: completes a body-region-based form before or during the visit. English and Hindi prototypes are linked below.
- Registration staff: talks to the patient and completes the same form when assistance is needed.
The proposed workflow
- Confirm the patient’s identity and basic details.
- Record the complaint in the patient’s words and select relevant symptoms.
- Prepare a brief intake summary for clinical review.
- Present possible departments and appointment information where those hospital systems are connected.
- Allow the treating team to verify and update the information.
What the doctor would receive
A brief account of why the patient came, with the selected symptoms and registration details. The source page describes a SOAP-style summary: Subjective information, Objective findings, Assessment and Plan. At registration, objective examination findings, a diagnosis and a treatment plan may not yet exist. Those should remain unconfirmed until assessed by the clinical team.
An everyday example
A patient describes knee pain, swelling and difficulty walking. The form records that symptom set without requiring the patient to decide their diagnosis. Suggested departments would be routing options for review, not a clinical recommendation based only on queue length.
What implementation would require
Assisted registration needs staff who can communicate in the patient’s language and accurately use the chosen interface. Appointment availability, waiting-time comparisons and hospital routing require live integration. The linked forms are prototypes; their presence does not mean those integrations are operational.
The wider aim is to understand why patients seek care before their final diagnosis is known, supporting service planning and teaching.