Abstract:  Objective To investigate the effectiveness of an intelligent queue calling system in ophthalmology examination rooms at hospitals. Design One-group pretest-posttest. Participants At the Ophthalmology Department of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, 20 patients undergoing examinations were selected both before and after the implementation of the queue calling system. Methods Before and after the implementation of the intelligent queue calling system, the average waiting time from registration at the nursing station to entering the examination room, as well as the total duration of the entire examination process, were recorded for patients who underwent laser scanning ophthalmoscopy, OCT, and UBM examinations. During peak consultation hours (Monday morning, 8:00 to 9:30), the number of patients completing laser scanning ophthalmoscopy was recorded. Before the system was implemented, data were manually recorded using stopwatches and counters; after implementation, the system automatically recorded the data. Patient satisfaction was surveyed using a self-designed questionnaire before and after the system's implementation. Main Outcome Measures Average patient waiting time, total examination process duration, number of patients examined during peak consultation hours, and patient satisfaction. Results Compared to before the system was implemented, the average waiting time for patients decreased from (65.9±14.7) minutes to (50.1±11.8) minutes after the new calling system was implemented, a reduction of 23.9% (t=-5.62, P<0.001); the total examination process duration decreased from (73.2±14.4) minutes to (57.2±11.5) minutes, a reduction of 22.9% (t=-6.44, P<0.001); the number of patients examined during peak consultation hours increased from an average of 31.1 to 37.1, a growth of 19.2% (U=9, P=0.03); and the patient satisfaction scores increased from (68.5±7.5) points to (86.7±6.0) points, a growth rate of 26.5% (t=-11.58, P<0.001). Conclusion The application of the intelligent queue calling system significantly reduced patient waiting times and the overall duration of the examination process, effectively improved the efficiency of examinations during peak hours, and greatly enhanced patient satisfaction. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2024, 33: 457-460)

Key words: ophthalmology examination, artificial intelligence, queue calling