Emergency Q app

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.
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Emergency Q app By Healthcare Applications Limited

Features

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)
Country of origin New Zealand
Clinical review 

4 star review


Read a clinical review below.

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 to use? Yes

Read more about safety and security when using apps.

Brochures:
Tips to improve your privacy and security [PNG, 200 KB] Health Navigator Charitable Trust, NZ
Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ

Cost Free
How to get the app

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 app website(external link), Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

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.

Clinical review

4 star review



Reviewer
: Dr Jeremy Steinberg, GP, RNZCGP
Date of review: August 2019
Version: 1.4.0
Platform: Android
Comment: This app is most useful for patients with non-emergency problems who need care after hours or those unable to get an appointment with their GP. This is a great initiative allowing the user to see live wait plus treatment times at local healthcare providers. It is currently only useful for those living in the North Shore or South Auckland, and hopefully more locations will be added in the future. There are some other limitations, but overall the app has a lot of potential. 
Safety concerns: None
New Zealand relevance: It is currently only relevant to users in some areas of Auckland (North Shore and South Auckland).

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Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly.

Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.