How Tablets Can Provide a Better In-Room Patient Experience
The In-Room patient experience is being transformed by mobile in-room technologies. Bedside technology allows for a multitude of services within the patients reach, enhancing patient satisfaction through the means of comfort, entertainment, and education.
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- Prevents Stress & Isolation (Comfort)
Patients with access to a bedside device allows for them to stay connected with loved ones through a wide array of social media platforms, email, or video chat. Some family members can’t be with their loved ones because of limited visitor access. Whether if it’s to help hospitals run more smoothly, preventing serious infections from spreading, or due to limited time slots for visits, a patient may not be able to get all the visitors they want. This isolation can stress patients and their family members as they continue their stay. “Being in the hospital can be stressful, not only for the patient, but for the patient’s family members as well,” says Laura Magstadt, vice president of nursing at Three Rivers Medical Center on a recent Mail Tribune blog post. Laura continues “Providing the patient with a tablet means they can stay connected and reassure their family that they’re doing well.”
- Provides Entertainment to the patient (Entertainment)
With nothing to do, staying at the hospital can get dull for patients. We currently live in an era where most of our entertainment comes from devices like tablets. Tablets can provide entertainment by enabling a patient to catch-up on their favorite shows via Netflix, shop online, or simply surf the web. Who doesn’t need to laugh a little at the latest quarantine meme, or cat video? One of my friends is posting her “quarantine hairdo” of the day. Here’s my current favorite. Maybe we can inspire some nurses to spice up their hairdos to add to the smiles? Laughter can lower your stress level and distract you from the stress of a hospital stay.
- Educational resource (Education)
Mobile technology at the bedside allows caregivers to easily inform their patients using Electronic Health Records (EHR). Caregivers can easily educate patients on new scan results/findings, videos on procedures, information on medications prescribed, review treatment plans, and more. “Tablets provide easy access to educational tools and resources as patients transition from diagnosis to treatment through recovery, explains Chuck Westbrook, American Cancer Society’s Senior Vice President for cancer control programs and services in a mHealthIntelligence blog post. Patients having access to these tools heightens the patient experience knowing their care and comfort is the main priority.
In-Room Technology Improves Patient Satisfaction
A recent study measured patient satisfaction on a group of 88 patients who were given access to technologies like bedside tablets at St. Rita's Medical Center. 74% of patients agreed that their communication improved with their nurse and over 89% reported a better understanding of their medications. Some patients enjoyed the multi-purpose capabilities that can be accessed on a tablet
such as browsing the internet, playing games, & watching movies. Other capabilities patients were satisfied with include having access to information on their medications, laboratory results, health information, & diagnosis. Overall, patient experiences were positive in this study supporting the use for bedside tablets in the medical setting.
In all, bedside tablets and in-room technology are an effective tool to have for patients. Tablets help bridge a connection between patients & their families, provide entertainment, and they can be used as an educational resource for patients and doctors.
MTI can assist in supporting your In-Room technology with Bedside tablet-based deployments of our easy to install mobile kiosk solutions. Read how Telehealth solutions keep patients and healthcare workers safe and how to disinfect MTI products. Ask about our special Healthcare specific discounted pricing for the MTI Enterprise Tablet Lineup for and RapidDoc mobile kiosks supporting Aava Mobile, Microsoft Surface, Zebra or Apple tablets. Please contact us at [email protected] to learn how our offerings can take the patient experience to a new level.
