Innovative Organizations Make Achieving Smart Solutions Possible
The trends are undeniable–technology has become a tool that smart industries across the country are leveraging in order to meet consumer needs, reduce costs and engage internal and external clients. The healthcare industry stands to gain tremendously if it responds to and harnesses the benefits of technology for its purposes as well. In an article just published by Healthcare Design, How to Design a Smart Hospital, writer Evan Weremeychiks point out the role that healthcare architects and designers have in achieving this. Here are a few highlights from the article. “To respond to a technologically driven environment of care and prepare for its evolution in the future, healthcare providers must consider bolstering the patient experience both inside their facilities and out through a keen focus on connectivity, communication, and access to information 1. Planning for technology must be at the forefront of any new facility project to ensure it will be relevant to future care delivery. Here are a few tools that Winthrop Hospital is making available to its patients and providers to become a smarter hospital–steps which your hospital can take too. Providing patients a digital portal for secure, 24-hour access to:
- Electronic medical records
- Scheduling
- Billing
- Registration
- Educational materials from any connective device
The patient portal is the core resource that facilitates many of the building’s other technological features and provides data that unifies the efforts of doctors, researchers, and patients to plan and discover the best prevention and treatment options for each illness. 2. Connective furniture Today, many patients and family members sitting in waiting rooms use personal mobile devices for entertainment, to review and update personal health information, or to make payments and arrange future appointments. Institutions must accommodate this constant interaction via mobile technology—and find ways to utilize the connectivity to their advantage. What can your clinic do to build in more connectivity?
- Enhancing waiting rooms with connective furniture
- Adding outlets for charging
- Including a robust Wi-Fi system
- Providing additional tools for patients and families can experience comfort and experience
4. Education zones Education zones dispersed throughout clinical areas can introduce patients to the use of devices that monitor their condition, teaching them how to interpret and utilize real-time device-generated information. At Winthrop, with its focus on diabetes care, research, and education, this manifests in technology training rooms and insulin pump education rooms specifically designed to introduce patients to new technologies available to help them as they live with their disease. Home scales and glucose monitors connected to the patient portal will update patient records daily and alert doctors of any important issues. Likewise, the information collected from the monitors is well documented in order to keep the option of retro analysis available to patients and doctors. 5. Telemedicine Current technology enables doctors and patients to connect remotely and share information in a variety of ways, through:
- Two-way video
- Smart phones
- Wireless tools
- and more
All classrooms and conference rooms at Winthrop’s new facility are designed with interactive video conference capability, giving physicians the opportunity to work remotely with patients or provide information to family members, while both callers view the same information on their individual screens. 6. Future forward The rapid advancement and pervasive influence of technology has created the opportunity to re-imagine the delivery of healthcare. Designers must address the challenge of integrating known technology that will enhance the patient experience in current time while strategizing future technological advancements and possibilities. Our insights, resourcefulness, and ability to visualize physical space with emerging technology will help shape the future patient experience and care model.” UPS Healthcare can be your partner in helping your organization become smarter in both how it leverages technology and through the physical technology your facility can harness for improved outcomes, lower costs and more. Contact us today to learn more!