Joshua Young, VP of Interactive Patient Care and Smart Rooms
Hospitals can be intimidating, especially for children. The unfamiliar environment, medical procedures, and separation from home can be stressful. Additionally, the stress levels of pediatric caregivers (parents, guardians, and other people who help with a child’s care) can add to patient anxiety.
While most decisions about pediatric care are made by adult guardians, engaging pediatric patients is as important as engaging their caregivers. A recent study underscores the critical need for direct feedback from young patients to improve care practices. In order to help reduce stress and encourage communication in pediatric patients, it’s important to give voice to hospitalized pediatric patients. By reducing stress and fostering communication, we can transform the hospital setting into a space that feels comforting and welcoming.
Integrating smart room technology with patient-centered practices offers a powerful opportunity to enhance the experience for both pediatric patients and their caregivers.
Clear Expectations Keep Stress in Check
One of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety in pediatric patients is by setting clear expectations. Like adults, children feel more secure when they know what to expect. Interactive digital displays can provide essential information about daily schedules and the timing of medications and upcoming procedures. This transparency helps patients and equips caregivers with the knowledge they need to reassure and inform their children, which can help reduce uncertainty and anxiety.
Bedside Tablets Foster Connection and Navigation
Bedside tablets can be transformative for pediatric patients. These devices allow children to feel connected to their care team, even when alone in their hospital rooms. User-friendly interfaces allow young patients to request attention, order meals, and access education and entertainment resources. This sense of autonomy and connection can help children feel more in control over their environment while reducing stress levels.
Video Tools Minimize Disruptions
Smart room technology also includes video tools that enable remote monitoring by nurses and virtual visits from specialists. This minimizes the stress associated with frequent disruptions and new faces, which can be particularly overwhelming for young patients.
Engaging Entertainment to Soothe and Distract
Today’s children are digital natives who find comfort in interactive technologies. Smart rooms equipped with personalized entertainment options, from educational content to games and movies, offer familiar distractions that can make hospital stays more comfortable and enjoyable.
Reduce Feelings of Isolation with Video Conferencing
Staying connected with family and friends is vital for a child’s emotional well being. Video conferencing capabilities in smart rooms allow pediatric patients to maintain these connections with their support network, even when they are in the hospital. Virtual visits with family members or pets can provide emotional support and a sense of normalcy, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Leveraging Smart Room Solutions for a Holistic Experience
Get Well’s Smart Room solutions exemplify how technology can elevate the patient and caregiver experience. By offering consumer-grade self-service, improved communication and automated patient education, these solutions streamline in-room hardware and integrate seamlessly with other core IT systems, including the EHR, RTLS, dietary, room controls, and virtual care technologies..
The result is a holistic and seamless experience that empowers patients to manage aspects of their hospital stay while enabling clinical teams to focus on providing top-of-license care.
