Patient Care: Registration, Assisting in the OPD and Moving Patients

Patient registration

Registration is the first contact with the hospital, so be polite, calm and clear.

• Record name, age, sex, address, phone, ID, next of kin and the main complaint.
• Give a unique hospital number (UHID or MRN) and a token or appointment time. A returning patient uses the same number, so all their records stay together.
• Types: new, follow-up (old), emergency (treat first, register later), online or phone appointment.
• Collect the fee if any, hand over the OPD card or slip, and guide the patient to the right clinic.

Confidentiality: patient details are private. Do not discuss them in public or share them without permission.

How an OPD works

The OPD (outpatient department) treats patients who do not need to stay overnight. The IPD (inpatient department) is for admitted patients.

Typical flow: registration → waiting area → vitals and history → doctor's consultation → investigations (lab, X-ray) or pharmacy → billing → exit, or admission if needed. Triage sorts patients by how urgent their problem is, so a person with chest pain or heavy bleeding is seen before a routine check-up.

OPD clinics are often specialty-wise: general medicine, children, eye, ENT, bones, women's health, skin.

Assisting in the OPD

• Infection control: hand hygiene before and after each patient, clean the couch, use gloves and masks when needed, put waste in the right colour bin.
• Vital signs (adult, at rest): temperature 36.5–37.5 °C, pulse 60–100 beats/min, breathing 12–20 breaths/min, blood pressure about 120/80 mmHg, oxygen saturation 95–100%. Also weight and height.
• Prepare the room: forms, instruments, torch, BP machine, thermometer, gloves.
• Help the patient onto and off the couch, keep a curtain or drape for privacy, and stay with a patient of the opposite sex when a chaperone is needed.
• Communicate: speak simply, check that the patient understood, pass on any danger sign at once.

Moving patients safely

Before any move: explain, ask consent, check the ID band, look for drips, catheters or injuries, and get enough helpers.

Body mechanics (protect your back)

Wide base (feet apart), knees bent, back straight, hold the load close, lift with your legs, turn by moving your feet, never twist. Push rather than pull. One leader counts "1-2-3".

Aids

• Walking with help: stand on the weaker side, use a gait belt or hold the arm and waist.
• Wheelchair: place at an angle beside the bed, brakes on, footrests up; seat the patient well back; feet on footrests; reverse down slopes and into lifts.
• Stretcher (trolley): brakes on for both surfaces, slide sheet, 3–4 people, side rails up and safety strap on, move feet first with a helper at the head watching the patient.

Try it

Sit on a chair. Stand up three times: once bending your back, then twice with knees bent and back straight. Which felt safer? Then try the buttons in step 6.

Key formulas and definitions

• OPD flow: Registration → Vitals → Doctor → Tests/Pharmacy → Billing → Exit
• Temperature 36.5–37.5 °C · Pulse 60–100/min · Breathing 12–20/min
• Blood pressure ≈ 120/80 mmHg · SpO₂ 95–100%
• Before moving: Explain, Consent, ID check, Helpers, Brakes
• Body mechanics: feet apart, knees bent, back straight, load close, no twisting

Worked examples

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to lock the wheelchair or stretcher brakes before a transfer.
• Lifting with a bent back and straight legs, which injures the helper's spine.
• Making a new registration number for a returning patient, so their old records are lost.
• Talking about a patient's illness loudly in the waiting area.