Now is the time to be intelligent about intelligent rooms in hospitals, as the financial and clinical return on investment they offer can be significant.
A intelligent room is an creative concept – a healthcare environment that improves patient care and streamlines clinical workflow. The idea has evolved from basic hand tools such as whiteboards and sticky notes to a more connected system with digital tools that support patient care.
In the intelligent room, digital boards, interactive displays and door signs provide real-time data to patients, families and clinical teams. These tools connect to hospital electronic health records and other patient-centric systems, ensuring the right data reaches the right people at the right time.
Patients have visibility into the details of their care plans, making it easier for them to play an busy role in their recovery. This approach increases satisfaction and supports better health management after discharge, which may result in fewer readmissions and better long-term outcomes.
This technology can improve clinical efficiency by automating routine tasks and reducing administrative demands on nurses. EHR integration can enable care teams to focus on patient care rather than documentation. Digital boards and digital door signs provide real-time access to health information and alerts, which can improve care coordination among patients, families and providers.
Jeff Fallon is president and CEO of Vibe Health by eVideon, a intelligent room hospital technology company. His knowledge of intelligent rooms is deep – especially in pediatric and VA hospitals. We spoke with Fallon to learn his insights on supporting the VA and improving pediatric care with intelligent room technology.
Q. How does intelligent room technology support specific patient populations, such as veterans and pediatric patients?
AND. Clever room technology is adaptable and highly customizable to meet the specific needs of different patient populations. Clever hospital rooms utilize advanced technology to provide highly personalized communication, restore autonomy and independence, and humanize the patient’s experience in the hospital. In veteran facilities, intelligent room technology allows veterans to control various aspects of their stay.
For example, they can digitally order meals, utilize assistive devices to control the TV, watch tailored educational content, and access VA-specific communications. We have implemented intelligent room systems in pediatric care settings with user interfaces specifically designed to engage children and their families.
Children’s intelligent TVs and digital whiteboards may include interactive features such as games that utilize augmented reality, music and pediatric education to create a calming and healing environment for pediatric patients and their loved ones.
Q. What improvements have been seen in patient satisfaction when using intelligent room technology?
AND. An environment in which patients feel informed, empowered, and in control of their care leads to greater satisfaction and better outcomes.
For example, the completion rate of educational videos. The television system helps hospitals achieve completion rates for educational videos that exceed industry standards.
Another example is increased involvement in the care plan. When patients are given the autonomy to control their environment and the tools to encourage their participation in the plan of care, they will thrive. One hospital reported that daily patient mobility improved from 51% to 73% thanks to an interactive gamification element on a digital whiteboard.
Communication with the patient is also improved. Patients who have real-time access to information about their health through tools such as a digital board experience greater comfort and satisfaction. In the emergency department, one hospital reported that 70% of patients said the digital whiteboard positively improved their understanding of what was happening during their stay.
Another client hospital reported an escalate in its Press Ganey hospital rating, specifically an escalate of 9% for “explaining the side effects of new drugs” and 18% for “explaining the purpose of new drugs.”
Q. How does this technology reduce the workload of nursing staff?
AND. Clever room technology reduces the administrative burden on nurses, allowing them to focus on direct patient care.
Clever rooms eliminate repetitive and redundant tasks for nurses, such as updating whiteboards or searching for magnets to place outside a patient’s room. One client hospital reported that digital boards integrated with the EHR saved nurses an average of 30 minutes per shift. This additional time allows nurses to make more meaningful connections with patients, focus more on direct patient care, and work to the highest level of clinical skill.
When patients have the opportunity to manage their own non-clinical needs – such as regulating the room temperature or ordering their own meals – nurses can continue to focus on clinical care. Many of our hospital clients utilize the “Request for Service” feature on TVs and tablets, which allows patients and/or their families to order items or services from departments such as Food & Nutrition, Community Services, Case Management, Chaplaincy, Gift Shop and not only .
Eliminating these non-clinical nurse functions streamlines clinical workflow and reduces nurse workload.
Clever room technology solves critical problems HR challenges in the health service. As many nurses leave the workforce, it has become critical for hospitals to implement technology that modernizes the care environment and provides physicians and staff with a more enriching workplace.
Automating non-clinical duties is one way staff can focus more on patient care, increasing job satisfaction and reducing burnout. Systems integrated with EHR also improve real-time communication, which enables effective collaboration between care teams and promotes a culture of safety and high reliability. These benefits support staff morale and the retention of nursing talent.
Q. How do RTLS and AI-enabled systems work with intelligent room technology to improve both patient and clinician experience?
AND. Clever rooms are highly adaptable and can be integrated with RTLS and AI-enabled systems to further improve the experience for both patients and physicians.
Many hospitals already utilize RTLS to track the location of staff and equipment. When integrated with intelligent room technology, this system automatically identifies staff members when they enter or leave a patient’s room.
For example, when a nurse enters a room, the intelligent display can show her name, photo and role. This provides greater transparency and peace of mind for patients and helps build trust between the patient and the team caring for them.
Digital boards display current patient information and track the comings and goings of care team members. This feature provides memory support for families, which is especially beneficial for patients with memory disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease; keeps a detailed register of guests and the times they enter and leave the room.
This feature also allows you to recognize nurses and doctors. The system automatically records the entry of nurses and doctors into the room. This feature enables physicians to recognize rounds they have made and provides exact, real-time documentation for both clinical and operational purposes.
Overall, integrating RTLS and AI systems with intelligent room technology promotes better communication, streamlines workflow, and improves the experience for patients and their families.