Patient Satisfaction Scores and the Role of Infotainment Systems
When patients are admitted to hospital, they expect medical assistance to help them get back to good health. Diagnosis and medical intervention are the priority, but patients also want to be cared for.
Healthcare teams understand that looking after their patients improves the chance of a good recovery. If the patient eats, keeps hydrated and has access to mental and physical activities, their rehabilitation is aided. The challenge is finding the time and resources to provide the levels of care that are needed.
NHS Reality Check
The NHS Reality Check Update 2018 highlighted that 80% of the 1,500 doctors surveyed had serious concerns about the ability of medical staff to deliver safe patient care in the coming year. What’s more, 64% reported that the levels of care had deteriorated in the past year. The general response was that the NHS is underfunded and overstretched.
There is little doubt that attracting more people into nursing and medical professions is essential for the future of the NHS, but alongside this should be investment in technology. A growing number of hospitals are now making use of patient infotainment devices to help reduce the pressure on ward staff.
Enhancing Patient Care
Arbor Technology is experienced in developing patient infotainment terminals for the healthcare industry. Arbor’s infotainment systems have been proven to improve patient satisfaction at the Point of Care (PoC). They look like a familiar tablet device and offer an intuitive means of allowing the patient to take an active role in their own care.
Arbor’s robust terminals are designed with LCD, multi-touch screens for ease of use. The 18.5” M1859 and M1861 bedside infotainment terminals are IEC 60601-1 and EN 60601-1/2 certified.
They are fanless and feature water and dust resistant front touchscreen panels, aiding infection control and making them suitable for use in a controlled medical environment.
Bedside Infotainment Medical Terminals
Infotainment Systems Boost Satisfaction
At a generic level, our devices can allow patients to view a menu and place an order, adjust the position of their bed, have access to music, games and movies. The technology enables communication with friends and family, who may not always be able to make visiting times.
The devices can be easily personalised. As such, the patient can be given basic physio activities to follow, more information on their condition, along with updates, such as when to expect a doctor’s visit. Another option is for Arbor’s patient Infotainment terminals to be personalised on a paediatric ward; providing access to online learning resources for children who may be missing time in school.
With Arbor’s infotainment devices, the patient becomes less reliant on nurses and feels better informed. They are entertained, so less likely to feel bored, lonely or disengaged. The information helps them to understand ways in which they can actively improve their health and this can reap rewards in terms of adjusting to independent living when discharged from hospital.
Infotainment Devices Help Prioritise Care
Arbor’s Infotainment devices also work as a clinical tool to benefit healthcare workers. For a start, patient records, test results and x-rays can be loaded onto the device, with controlled access. The staff can easily retrieve patient records from the device, and discuss appropriate data with the patient, at the bedside. Ordering prescriptions is also possible with this technology.
Equally importantly, the devices free up time spent on routine ‘call button’ requests. This allows the medical staff to focus on priority cases and specialist support. In using their expertise effectively, they will be able to help more patients to regain health, from which they will gain greater job satisfaction.
Scoring the Patient Experience
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores are based on patient experience. This scoring system has forced every healthcare trust to focus on raising satisfaction ratings. With hospital staff under considerable pressure, technology should be seen as an essential means of improving standards of care, without adding to the workload of healthcare workers.
If you would like to discuss medical computing solutions with the Arbor UK team, get in touch on: 01908 310100.
