A simulated drive-through medical clinic tested at Stanford Hospital on Friday has been deemed a success, a doctor said Tuesday.

"It went very well," said Dr. Eric Weiss, the hospital's medical director for disaster planning. "We learned a lot and are processing all of the information we ascertained."

The drive-through triage model offers patients an alternative to visiting an emergency room during a pandemic or other health emergency. The main goals are to prevent sick patients from spreading diseases in emergency rooms and to expedite treatment, Weiss said.

"This mechanism for rapidly treating and evaluating patients would be good for any emerging infectious disease," Weiss said. "We can see twice as many patients using this mechanism of the drive-through."

The simulation consisted of several screening and treatment stations with portable digital monitors, and portable labs for blood and other specimen testing.

There was also a drive-through simulation for giving out medications and administering vaccines.

Dozens of volunteers participated and have since been given surveys to help medical staff evaluate the trial, Weiss said.

Health officials plan another simulation this summer and hope to implement the drive-through model this fall, Weiss said.

— Bay City News Service