Abstract
Objective The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease with strong
infectious power and fatality rate. To protect national health, government agencies
have regulations on hospital chaperoning and visiting. This article presents the development
and implementation of a monitoring system for hospital visiting and chaperoning during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to create a hospital visiting and chaperoning
monitor system that uses nation-wide data sources to more accurately screen hospital
visitors and chaperones, assist contract tracing, and prevent transmission of severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Methods This project was implemented in 57 ward units of an academic medical center. The
system was connected to the National Health Insurance (NHI) system and Hospital Information
System (HIS), and built on the data of everyone who accessed either the hospital or
ward using an NHI smart card or national identification card. To shorten the time
for manual identification, we also developed a new system of “app for appointment
visits and chaperones” to make appointments online.
Results After the implementation of the system, data from visitors and chaperones in the
nursing information system could be accessed. Given that all data were registered
in the HIS visiting/chaperoning monitor system, an epidemic investigation could be
performed whenever there was a confirmed case.
Conclusion Through the establishment of this system, people entering the ward can be accurately
controlled, and all the contacts of potential cases can be traced.
Keywords
COVID-19 - epidemic investigation - visiting - chaperoning - hospital - hospital information
systems - public health - monitoring and surveillance
