Two months after their debut, temperature self-screening stations can be found at 25 different locations on campus, and there are plans for two more to be installed in the coming weeks.
The stations are an addition to five fulltime employees who were hired to screen people for proper face mask use and fever before entering campus buildings.
The 25 stations record nearly 3,000 screenings per day, said Yeman Collier, vice president and chief information officer. One person may screen multiple times a day as they come and go, and people will often double-check if they get a reading with a high temperature, he added.
“Compliance is good, and it has gotten better,” Collier said.
The percentage of unmasked people who self-screen is 3.6%-3.9%, down from 12%-15% when the stations were first installed at the end of May. Largely, that small percentage of unmasked people comes from patient care locations, which suggests it may be patients who are unfamiliar with the screening process and not UT Health San Antonio faculty, staff and students, said Collier.
“The feedback that I’ve heard is that people now know how to use them. They know not to touch them, and know how to stand to get a reading,” he said.
That ease of use is what has made them successful, Collier said.
“People don’t have to walk so far to get screened. Now they can actually get screened where they would normally enter because there’s a station there,” he said. “The convenience factor has been high.”
The self-screening stations ensure a safer environment for all who enter, he said.
“I would like to believe that folks are encouraged by the health science center taking an interest in helping them manage their health and the health of the community. Without the ability to easily screen, I’m not sure people would be taking their temperature every day,” said Collier. “My hope is that people look at it not as hassle but that the health science center is looking out for their health.”