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Emergency Q app

An app for people with non-emergency problems who need care after hours or those unable to get an appointment with their GP.

Emergency Q	By Healthcare Applications Limited
	Forecasts wait plus treatment times for non-emergency patients at specific hospital emergency departments and accident and emergency (A&E) clinics in some areas around New Zealand, such as: Waitematā DHB (North Shore Hospital) Counties Manukau DHB (Middlemore Hospital) Get the app: (external link) (external link) (external link)
Country of origin	New Zealand
Clinical review	Read a clinical review of this app.
Security and privacy	Does the app: collect medical information: Yes, but it is unclear require a login: No have password protection: No have a privacy policy: Yes (on the website) require internet access: Yes Read more safety tips around health apps
Cost	Free

What does the Emergency Q app do?

The Emergency Q app enables users to see and compare live wait plus treatment times between the emergency department (ED) of some local hospitals and nearby accident and emergency (A&E) clinics, although only a limited number are currently connected. Users can also learn about what kind of symptoms they should go to a hospital ED for instead of an A&E clinic.

The app asks the users questions to determine if they need to be in ED and tells them how long it would take to be seen for their condition. For non-medical emergencies, it shows users other options in the community, how long it would take to be seen and treated there and how much it would cost. The Emergency Q app aims to reduce congestion in hospital EDs and save the patient time for non-urgent conditions. Users can also save time by joining the queue at their after-hours medical provider from wherever they are.

Currently the app is available for use at Waitematā DHB (North Shore Hospital) and Counties Manukau DHB (Middlemore Hospital). When patients arrive at ED they see a screen with a feed from Emergency Q showing them what conditions the ED is set up to deal with and what conditions can be attended to by their GP or A&E clinic, along with expected wait plus treatment times.

For the complete app description, go to Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or the app website(external link).

PROS	CONS
✔ Real-time data feeds – live wait plus treatment time data (forecasted averages). ✔ A&E clinic cost is based on the user’s details. ✔ An electronic voucher is generated to streamline the registration process at the healthcare provider. ✔ Information about what is and isn’t a medical emergency. ✔ You can input multiple patients (such as a friend or dependent).	✘ The app only considers your current location, not your residential address, when suggesting healthcare locations (even though it makes you put in your address). For example, if your residential address was in South Auckland, but your current location was the North Shore, it will only suggest North Shore providers. ✘ It doesn’t indicate the locations of non-participating hospitals and A&E clinics. For example, if you are in West Auckland, it will only show you the North Shore Hospital location but not the location of Waitakere Hospital. Even if the wait time data is not available, the app should still show the location of all hosptials. ✘ There is no easily accessible list of participating providers to determine whether the app is appropriate for the user’s location or not. At the time of writing it appears to be connected to Middlemore Hospital, North Shore Hospital and some surrounding A&E clinics. ✘ It doesn’t tell you what DHB your residential address comes under. ✘ You cannot view live data without entering in your personal details. ✘ Costs shown are for New Zealand residents only. ✘ It doesn’t provide information about what conditions pharmacists can treat.

PROS

CONS

✔ Real-time data feeds – live wait plus treatment time data (forecasted averages).

✔ A&E clinic cost is based on the user’s details.

✔ An electronic voucher is generated to streamline the registration process at the healthcare provider.

✔ Information about what is and isn’t a medical emergency.

✔ You can input multiple patients (such as a friend or dependent).

✘ The app only considers your current location, not your residential address, when suggesting healthcare locations (even though it makes you put in your address). For example, if your residential address was in South Auckland, but your current location was the North Shore, it will only suggest North Shore providers.

✘ It doesn’t indicate the locations of non-participating hospitals and A&E clinics. For example, if you are in West Auckland, it will only show you the North Shore Hospital location but not the location of Waitakere Hospital. Even if the wait time data is not available, the app should still show the location of all hosptials.

✘ There is no easily accessible list of participating providers to determine whether the app is appropriate for the user’s location or not. At the time of writing it appears to be connected to Middlemore Hospital, North Shore Hospital and some surrounding A&E clinics.

✘ It doesn’t tell you what DHB your residential address comes under.

✘ You cannot view live data without entering in your personal details.

✘ Costs shown are for New Zealand residents only.

✘ It doesn’t provide information about what conditions pharmacists can treat.

Review details

Date of review: August 2019
Platform reviewed: Android
Version: 1.4.0
Download Size: 5.6 MB
Updated on: 22 July 2019

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Emergency Q app

What does the Emergency Q app do?

Review details

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