It may sound like science fiction, but there is research underway that equips hospital rooms with sophisticated electronics to study whether this technology can help healthcare providers better protect patients from certain medical errors, the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. Not only could this high-tech care save lives, but it could also help prevent dangerous complications, such as patient falls, which cost the American healthcare system a staggering $1 billion a year.
This next generation technology, GE’s Smart Patient Room, is poised to begin data collection at Bassett Medical Center, a 180-bed acute care inpatient teaching facility in Cooperstown, New York. “Patient safety is a concern for hospitals across the U.S., as more patients enter the health system,” due to the Affordable Care Act, says the hospital’s president and CEO, William Streck, MD.
The goal of the pilot program is to evaluate the technology for use in helping hospitals and staff identify and mitigate patient safety risks. The Patient Smart Room turns existing hospital rooms into electronic watchdogs, using optical sensors to track the movement of clinicians and medical equipment, capture time between events, and remotely read bar codes. Initially, it will monitor three important safety protocols and provide gentle notifications if risks are detected in these areas:
* Hand hygiene. Did clinicians wash their hands before and after caring for a patient? The system not only tracks when hand washing does occur, but when it should have been performed.
* Clinical rounding adherence. Did the medical staff make rounds on schedule?
* Patient fall prevention. Are there signs that a patient might be at risk for falling? These may include changes in the patient’s behavior or the environment, such as bed rail position.
GE’s Global Research Center is also developing detection tools for other possible protocols, including pressure ulcer (bedsore) prevention and patient pain classification. Pain is now considered a “fifth vital sign” in evaluating patients’ health as they heal from illness or surgery. Ultimately, the goal of the Smart Patient Room is to uncover opportunities for hospitals and staff to reduce risks and improve outcomes. And that’s a prescription for better health for patients.
CONNECT THE DOTS
For more on the Smart Patient Room, read GE’s announcement and report. The first episode of The GE Show, “Healthy Hospitals,” uses digital storytelling to showcase innovative technologies that are making healthcare smarter and more efficient. See news and photos from GE’s Future of Healthcare Technology event this month.
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