Smart rooms are not common, but their benefits could soon become so
It’s time to be smart about smart rooms in hospitals. Because the financial and clinical ROI they provide can be significant.
A smart room is an innovative concept, a healthcare environment that improves patient care and streamlines clinical workflows. The idea evolved from basic manual tools, such as whiteboards and sticky notes, to a more connected system with digital tools that support patient care.
In a smart room, digital whiteboards, interactive displays and door signs provide real-time data to patients, families and clinical teams. These tools connect to the hospital’s electronic medical records and other patient-facing systems so that the right data reaches the right people at the right time.
Patients view details about their care plans, which facilitates their ability to take an active role in their health journey. This approach increases satisfaction and supports better health management after discharge, which can result in fewer readmissions and better long-term outcomes.
The technology can improve clinical efficiency by automating routine tasks and reducing administrative demands on nurses. Integration with EHRs can enable healthcare teams to focus on patient care rather than paperwork. Digital whiteboards and digital door signs provide access to real-time health information and alerts that can improve care coordination between patients, families and caregivers.
Jeff Fallon is chairman and CEO of Vibe Health by eVideon, a smart room hospital technology company. His expertise in smart rooms goes far, especially at children’s hospitals and VA hospitals. We spoke with Fallon to get his insights on supporting the VA and improving pediatric care through smart room technology.
Q. How does smart room technology support specific patient populations, such as veterans and pediatric patients?
A. Smart room technology is adaptable and highly configurable to meet the specific needs of different patient populations. Smart hospital rooms use advanced technology to deliver highly personalized communications, restore autonomy and independence, and humanize the inpatient experience. In veterans facilities, smart room technology allows veterans to control various aspects of their stay.
For example, they can order meals digitally, use tools to control the TV, view customized educational content and access VA-specific communications. In child care, we have deployed smart room systems with a user interface specifically designed to engage children and their families.
Smart TVs for kids and digital whiteboards can include interactive features such as augmented reality games, music and childhood 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 smart room technology?
A. An environment where 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. A TV system helps hospitals achieve completion rates for educational videos that exceed industry standards.
Another example is greater involvement in the care plan. When patients are given the autonomy to control their environment, and given tools to encourage their participation in the care plan, they will thrive. One hospital reported that patients’ daily mobility improved from 51% to 73% thanks to an interactive gamification element on a digital whiteboard.
There has also been improved patient communication. Patients who have real-time access to their health information through tools such as the digital whiteboard experience greater comfort and satisfaction. In the emergency department, a client hospital reported that 70% of patients said the digital whiteboard positively improved their understanding of what happened during their stay.
Another client hospital reported an increase in their Press Ganey hospital rating, specifically an increase of 9% for “explain the side effects of new medications” and 18% for “explain the purpose of new medications.”
Q. How does this technology reduce the workload for nurses?
A. Smart room technology reduces the administrative burden for nurses, allowing them to focus on direct patient care.
Smart rooms eliminate repetitive and redundant tasks for nurses, such as updating dry-erase boards or searching for magnets to place outside a patient room. One client hospital reported that EHR-integrated digital whiteboards saved nurses an average of 30 minutes per shift. This additional time allows nurses to maintain more meaningful connections with patients, focus more on direct patient care and work at the top of their clinical license.
When patients are given the opportunity to take care of their own non-clinical needs – such as adjusting the room temperature or ordering their own meal – nurses can continue to focus on clinical care. Many of our hospital customers take advantage of the “Service Request” features on TVs and tablets that allow patients and/or their families to request items or services from departments such as dining and nutrition, environmental services, case management, the chaplain, gift shop and other departments. more.
Eliminating these non-clinical roles for nurses streamlines the clinical workflow and reduces the burden on nurses.
Smart space technology tackles critical problems healthcare workforce challenges. With many nurses leaving the workforce, it has become critical for hospitals to embrace technology that modernizes the healthcare environment and provides a more enriching workplace for physicians and staff.
Automating non-clinical responsibilities is one way employees can focus more on patient care, increasing job satisfaction and reducing burnout. EHR-integrated systems also improve real-time communications, enabling efficient collaboration between healthcare teams and promoting a culture of safety and high reliability. These benefits support staff morale and retention of nursing talent.
Q. How do RTLS and AI-enabled systems work together with smart room technology to improve the experiences of both patients and physicians?
A. Smart rooms are highly customizable and can be integrated with RTLS and AI systems to further improve the experiences of both patients and physicians.
Many hospitals already use RTLS to track the location of staff and equipment. When integrated with smart room technology, this system automatically identifies staff members as they enter or leave the patient’s room.
For example, when a nurse enters a room, the smart display can show the nurse’s name, photo and role. This provides greater transparency and peace of mind for patients and helps build trust between the patient and their care team.
Digital whiteboards display current patient information and track the inflow and outflow of care team members. This feature provides memory support for families, which is especially beneficial for patients with memory problems such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease; it keeps a detailed log of visitors and the times they entered and left the room.
The position also provides recognition for nurses and physicians. The system automatically registers when nurses and doctors enter the room. This feature ensures physicians receive recognition for the rounds they make and supports accurate, real-time documentation for both clinical and operational purposes.
Overall, integrating RTLS and AI systems with smart room technology promotes better communication, improves workflow, and improves the experience for patients and families.
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