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Hospital Rooms of the Future
Reported April 24, 2008
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you've ever had an overnight
hospital stay, you know the worries -- from medication mistakes to hospital
infections. But now, some hospitals are using futuristic "smart rooms" to
help doctors eliminate many problems.
Rita Mulkerin has heart problems and has suffered a stroke. Some days, it's
tough to speak; but today, her questions are being answered before she has
to ask. Mulkerin is staying in a smart hospital room.
For starters, computers using voice recognition give doctors immediate
access to vital patient information right at the bedside. "I can't tell you
how many times as a physician when I got to a nursing station looking for my
patient's chart, it's not there; somebody else has it," Shuja Hassan, M.D.,
a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told Ivanhoe.
Ultrasound tracking devices detect the real-time location of caregivers who
wear small transmitters, or tags, like pagers. When someone wearing a tag
enters a patient room, their name and job title flash up on a second
computer screen.
"We like to know who it is, what department they're from, why they're in the
room," says Judy Jacobs, Mulkerin's daughter.
Doctors say it's one important way to help avoid medical mistakes. "If you
see a medication up there that you're not taking, or that the dose is wrong,
you can immediately tell me and we can fix it," Dr. Hassan explains.
Each room also has an infrared sensor above the door. A spotlight shines on
the hand sanitizer -- a reminder to take the extra step to reduce the spread
of patient infections. Technology that helps patients take charge of their
health by keeping them in the know.
Each smart room costs between $2,000 and $3,000; but advocates say it's a
crucial way to improve patient care and decrease hospital mistakes. Right
now, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is the only hospital in the
country with rooms like this.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Wendy Zellner
Media Relations
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 647-3555
zellnerwl@upmc.edu
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