Successful pilot

Hospital: dialing 1450 gets you there faster

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, practically everyone knows this number: anyone who types 1450 into the telephone can reach the health advice line. And following a pilot project, this number is now also officially used to bring more order to the flow of patients in hospitals.

At the other end of the line, qualified and medically trained staff pick up the phone and guide the caller through a protocol-based query system developed by doctors. Depending on the case, a recommendation is made as to what should be done. For example, whether the patient should be taken to hospital immediately or whether it would be sufficient to go to the family doctor the next day.

Hospitals prepared for patients
This 1450 check-in is already possible in more than half of Upper Austria's hospitals (such as the Kepler-Uniklinikum, the Salzkammergut-Kliniken and the Linzer Elisabethinen). And this is how it works in detail: once the patient data has been recorded, it is forwarded directly to the hospital. They are also informed in advance when the visit to the hospital is possible. Hospitals are thus prepared for the patient, eliminating a lot of administrative work on site. Exceptions to this are, of course, emergencies.

Like well-coordinated clockwork, this procedure supports the admission process.

Rotkreuz-Präsident Walter Aichinger

Red Cross President Walter Aichinger knows from practical experience: "The pilot project has already demonstrated its lasting success. This approach supports the admission process like a well-coordinated clockwork mechanism. It shortens waiting times and the patient feels well embedded in a closely coordinated and networked system.