Joint Press Release TapMyLife, Azienda USL Piacenza
Image taken from the Piacenza24 article
The “Piacenza – My Hospital” app (iOS, Android), created by the Azienda Usl di Piacenza in collaboration with the Unione Italiana Ciechi of Piacenza, is equipped with indoor and outdoor navigation systems for mobile devices and is integrated with the company’s queue management systems.
The “Piacenza – My Hospital” app helps users navigate within the “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital.
Useful for those visiting a hospitalized person or those needing to attend an appointment or exam, the app guides users through the wards, outpatient clinics, examination and testing areas, the Central Booking Office (CUP), and the direct medication distribution areas.
The app also functions without an internet connection and provides constantly updated information on the services offered by the hospital (locations, hours, contact details).
“Piacenza – My Hospital” allows all citizens, using their smartphones, to connect to a virtual welcome system once near the Piacenza hospital area, enabling interaction with the surrounding environment.
Additionally, “Piacenza – My Hospital” features voiceover functionality, allowing users with visual impairments to access all available functions.
Liberta, 30/06/2018
The healthcare organization of Piacenza is the first in Italy to develop a smartphone app capable of guiding users within the hospital through a voice function. The application, called “Piacenza, My Hospital,” was a dream of the Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired that has now become a reality; representatives of the association themselves collaborated with the AUSL and the technology development company to test the app. The goal of the healthcare organization is to extend the system to hospitals throughout the province.
Piacenza Sera, 30/06/2018
An app for navigating the hospital and accessing queue management kiosks via smartphone. Called “Piacenza, My Hospital,” this new app from Azienda Usl di Piacenza—developed in collaboration with the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired—guides and assists users within the city’s healthcare facility.
The app was introduced with a public demonstration at the entrance of Piacenza’s hospital, in the presence of the AUSL General Director, Luca Baldino.
The smartphone application is specifically designed for individuals with visual impairments, allowing them to navigate to departments and services using their mobile phones. Additionally, users can book appointments at the CUP (Central Booking Office) and direct pharmacy distribution counters through the app’s integration with the hospital’s queue management kiosks.
The voiceover function on the phone provides guidance, making these services fully accessible to the blind and visually impaired, who tested the app alongside AUSL and the technology developer, TapMyLife, throughout the design phases.
“Piacenza, My Hospital” can also be used by any citizen: it is helpful for those visiting a hospitalized person or needing to attend an appointment or exam. The app guides users through wards, outpatient clinics, examination and testing areas, Central Booking Offices (CUP), and medication distribution areas.
It provides constantly updated additional information on the services offered by the hospital (locations, hours, contact details). Once near the Piacenza hospital area, the app connects to a virtual welcome system that facilitates interaction with the surrounding environment.
Piacenza 24, 30/06/2018
An app for navigating the hospital and accessing queue management kiosks via smartphone. Developed in collaboration with the Italian Union of the Blind, it was introduced this afternoon with a live demonstration of its features. Named “Piacenza, My Hospital,” the new app from Azienda Usl di Piacenza was co-designed with the Italian Union of the Blind and guides users within the city’s healthcare facility.
Following a brief introduction, Giuseppe Taverna, President of the Piacenza section of UIC, became a direct testimonial of how to use the tool to navigate the hospital, searching for directions to departments and clinics.
Through the phone’s voiceover function, the app will also enable visually impaired users to access the queue management system for direct medication distribution. The app was developed by TapMyLife.
Essentially, the phone retrieves the user’s precise location and directs them accurately to the queue management kiosk at the CUP (Central Booking Office). Once at the kiosk, the app connects with the kiosk’s computer and allows the user to select the desired option through voice commands. Simultaneously, a signal alerts the staff at the counter to the presence of a visually impaired user, so they can provide assistance and support during the process.
Undersecretary Paola De Micheli, present at the press conference, congratulated AUSL General Director Luca Baldino. This app is the first of its kind in Italy, and once again, AUSL is setting an example. Notably, members of the Union of the Blind from other provinces were present, eager to learn about this new tool and potentially introduce it to their local healthcare organizations.
