Patient self-service queue portal

What it does

The queue portal is a public-facing display screen mounted at your reception desk or waiting area. It shows patients their queue number, the doctor they are assigned to, and whether their queue is waiting to be called. When a queue moves to waiting status (ready to be seen), the portal plays an audio alert to notify the patient.

This feature eliminates confusion at the desk: patients can see exactly where they are in the queue and when it's their turn, without asking staff for updates.

Before you start

• Access needed: You must have clinical queue management permissions to set up and display the portal.
• Device: A tablet, monitor, or TV screen mounted at the reception desk or waiting area, connected to the internet.
• Browser: The portal opens in any modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) on any device.
• Data required: Queues must already be created and assigned to patients (see Creating a queue).

Steps

1. Access the portal page

   On the reception desk device, open your web browser and navigate to the queue portal. In Usystems, go to Queues → Portal or use the direct link:

   Open Queue Portal in Usystems

2. The portal displays automatically

   Once the page loads, the portal will:

   • Show all active and waiting queues for today
   • Display each queue's number, patient name, assigned doctor, and current status
   • Update automatically every few seconds
   • Play an audio alert (a sound tone) when any queue transitions to "waiting" status (meaning the patient should now go to the doctor's room)

3. Leave the page open

   Keep the browser tab open and visible on the reception desk screen throughout your clinic or hospital hours. The portal will continuously refresh and display the latest queue information without any action needed from staff.

4. Optional: Fullscreen mode

   To maximize visibility, use your browser's fullscreen feature:

   • Press F11 (most browsers) or Ctrl+Cmd+F (Safari on Mac) to toggle fullscreen mode
   • This hides the browser chrome and makes the queue display larger

How it works

• Status tracking: The portal displays queues in two main states: "active" (in progress with a doctor) and "waiting" (next to be called).
• Auto-refresh: Queue data refreshes every few seconds, so the display is always current.
• Sound alert: When a queue's status changes to "waiting," a chime or tone plays. This audible cue alerts the patient to approach the doctor's room or counter without staff having to call them out.
• Today's queues only: The portal shows only today's queues. It will not display queues from past or future dates.

Tips & common mistakes

• Let the screen stay on: Modern devices may lock or sleep; disable screen lock on the reception desk device so the portal keeps displaying.
• Audio on: Ensure the device's speaker or audio output is enabled so the alert sound is audible. Test the sound when you first set up the portal.
• Not a booking tool: The portal is display-only. Patients cannot book or check in directly from this screen; receptionists still create and manage queues through the staff interface.
• Privacy reminder: The portal shows patient names on a public screen. If your facility has privacy concerns, consider placing the screen in a waiting area accessible only to patients or using smaller queue numbers instead of full names (if your setup allows).

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