How to solve the recurring problem of parking difficulties? Shanghai Children's Medical Institutions in the summer face the challenge of facing the peak of specialty training | hospitals | specialties
Every summer vacation, children's medical institutions in Shanghai experience a peak of medical visits, and the problem of hospital parking becomes increasingly prominent. Recently, a reporter from Jiefang Daily's Shangguan News visited and found that after the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, the number of pediatric specialist visits has rebounded strongly. During the summer vacation, due to the frequent driving trips of the affected children's families, traffic congestion occurred around the hospital. How to guide and alleviate traffic problems around hospitals? How to seek medical treatment in an orderly manner during the peak period of specialized departments?
"Family outings" causing more traffic congestion around the hospital
Since the summer vacation, traffic congestion around children's medical institutions has become a norm. The Affiliated Pediatric Hospital of Fudan University is located between Wanyuan Road, Gudai Road, and Hechuan Road in Minhang District. The reporter drove there at 10am last Tuesday. When Gudai Road turned into Wanyuan Road, congestion began, and the subsequent "tailgating" phenomenon was severe. Ms. Liu, who took her child to see a respiratory disease, bluntly said, "It's more convenient to drive over if the child is uncomfortable. It took half an hour from queuing to parking in the hospital parking lot." Mr. Zhou often brings his child to see a doctor. "This intersection used to be very congested, but it's even more serious during the summer vacation, which may be related to an increase in the number of people seeking medical treatment."
The reporter went to the entrance of Fudan Pediatric Hospital to experience the congestion firsthand
The person in charge of the security department of Fudan Pediatrics told reporters that more than 430 parking spaces are currently reserved for the families of the children inside and outside the hospital. These parking spaces are relatively close to the diagnosis and treatment area, making it convenient for the children to travel back and forth. However, more than 430 parking spaces can still be managed during regular medical periods, and during peak hours, they are indeed tight. In fact, Fudan Pediatrics collaborates with Minhang District to reserve 50 parking spaces on the "Shanghai Parking" app every day, located between Fudan Pediatrics and Minhang District Maternal and Child Health Hospital. However, only 20-30 parking spaces are reserved every day. "Many families of patients are not familiar with the software application, resulting in reserved parking spaces always being available."
Similar situations are also present in other pediatric medical institutions. As one of the most core pediatric medical institutions in the northeast region of Shanghai, Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has been facing long-term traffic congestion. The person in charge admitted that due to limited space, parking has always been a major problem. Although green transportation is advocated, the special nature of seeking medical treatment for sick children can easily lead to "one person falling ill and the whole family moving out". The Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine is located in Pudong. Due to the proximity of hospitals such as Dongfang Road and Beiyuan Road to Renji Hospital, the street and transportation departments have taken multiple measures to alleviate congestion. However, the number of visits from the two top tier hospitals has made the surrounding traffic even more unbearable, and the families of the affected children often have to wait in long queues to drive into the hospital.
Nearly 30% increase in specialization, with respiratory and endocrine systems favored
The parking problem was prominent during the summer vacation, with the main reason being the explosion of specialized clinics. According to data from Fudan Pediatrics, the number of outpatient visits in July has increased from a daily average of 6000 to 8000, with some peak days reaching 9000. Shen Guomei, the head of Fudan Pediatric Clinic, said, "At present, it has basically returned to the peak level of summer specialties before the epidemic. At this time every year, the peak of specialties will arrive as scheduled, with respiratory, endocrine, ophthalmic, facial features, and neurological specialties showing the most significant increase." To meet the needs of children, Fudan Pediatric Clinic opens night clinics from Monday to Friday, with consultations every night from 16:30 to 20:00. The average daily night clinic volume reaches 450-500 people, and specialty clinics are also opened on Saturdays and Sundays during the day. Shen Guomei added, "The appointment platform keeps a sufficient number of account sources daily. If parents of sick children have not made an appointment, they can also register on-site at the hospital."
Shanghai Children's Medical Center also faces peak challenges during summer vacation. In addition to the diagnosis and treatment of seasonal common diseases, the demand for medical services such as health check ups, elective surgeries, and disease diagnosis has significantly increased. The person in charge said, "Due to the insufficient seasonal diseases to form a peak, the first summer vacation after the 'Class B and B management' fully released the demand for medical treatment for children, and even a backlog of 3 years of elective treatment for children came from all over the country." Respiratory department director Yin Yong introduced that in recent years, the number of visits for children with chronic cough, asthma routine follow-up, asthma desensitization treatment, and other causes caused by various reasons has significantly increased, and in addition to outpatient wards, all wards have been fully booked. At present, the pediatric center has dynamically added 10 consultation rooms and 54 tidal wards, and the nighttime operating room is fighting until 11pm. Considering that in addition to booking patients, there are also many temporary medical needs, the hospital has lifted the restrictions on on-site registration sources. Doctors try to reduce their rest time as much as possible by extending their lunch break and evening break.
Outpatient Hall of Children's Medical Center
As soon as Xinhua Hospital enters July, the proportion of pediatric patients seeking medical treatment has significantly increased. According to Ma Fei, the director of the outpatient and emergency department, the proportion of patients under the age of 18 in the hospital has increased by 6%, with a slight increase in the number of pediatric outpatient and emergency visits, which has remained relatively stable. The Department of Endocrinology and Genetics and the Department of Pediatrics and Urology during the summer vacation are both popular departments in pediatrics. "Recently, the growth rate of single department for children has ranged from 5% to 10%. The number of children with fever has declined in the past three years, but this year, due to the impact of syncytial virus and other factors, the number of children with respiratory diseases is still high. The incidence rate of herpes virus is also high."
Xinhua Hospital is directly connected to Line 18
Advance booking of parking and registration is the most convenient way for green travel
How to guide parents of sick children to seek medical treatment in a scientific and orderly manner, saving time and space, in the face of the summer peak? The head of the security department of Fudan Pediatrics told reporters that during the summer, the hospital has listed 6 billboards to indicate the pediatric parking path, and an additional 2 people will be added during peak hours to divert traffic. In fact, the hospital is connected to Metro Line 12, making subway travel more convenient. In addition, it is not long to walk from the commercial district near Wanyuan Road to the hospital, and there are many vacant parking spaces on weekdays. If it is difficult to park in the hospital for the parents of the sick child, it can also be a "curve to save the country". The reporter learned that Fudan Pediatrics is planning to build more parking spaces for the inpatient comprehensive building. "We are currently in the bidding stage, and if the construction is completed, there will be an additional 200 parking spaces for the families of children who come to the hospital, which can effectively alleviate the difficulty of parking."
Fudan Pediatric Parking Lot
During this year's "June 1st" period, Xinhua Hospital also cooperated with Shanghai Metro Line 18. Exit 6 of Jiangpu Road Station is directly connected to the Pediatric Comprehensive Building, bringing many conveniences for children's travel and medical treatment. Ma Fei suggested, "Recently, Shanghai has been experiencing high temperatures and heavy rain, and underground passage can reduce the impact on patients' travel. Due to the continuous shortage of hospital parking spaces, it is recommended that parents of children who come by car make an appointment for a parking space before seeking medical treatment."
As for Shanghai Children's Medical Center, in order to simplify the inspection and testing process, the Internet hospital has launched the "pre diagnosis inspection" function, which can realize the direct inspection after online billing to the hospital, save the waiting time for outpatient billing and improve the efficiency of medical treatment. Experts remind that when children and parents arrive at crowded places such as hospitals, they should still pay attention to wearing masks, doing a good job of hand hygiene and disinfection, and preventing cross infection of the virus before it occurs.
