Hospital smart rooms take the pressure off of bedside nurses
Tying the virtual connections together at Houston Methodist is an EHR-integrated digital whiteboard, says Ginny Torno, who will speak at HIMSS24.
Photo: John Fedele/Getty Images
Hospital smart rooms take the pressure off of nurses doing tasks at bedside that can be done virtually.
The technologies that make up a smart room – remote patient monitoring, virtual care, computer vision technology and a BioIntelliSense BioButton to measure vital signs – are being implemented across Houston Methodist's 4,000 beds to connect patients to nurses.
It saves the amount of time nurses need to be at bedside, according Ginny Torno, executive director of IT Clinical Systems and Innovation at Houston Methodist, who is speaking about smart rooms at HIMSS24.
Computer vision technology set up in the room watches patients at risk of falling to ensure they're not getting out of bed without assistance.
Another new technology is the BioIntelliSense BioButton, a device about the size of a quarter that helps monitor vital signs. This reduces the number of times a nurse needs to come into the room to check vital signs.
"Without that technology the nurse goes in at least once every four hours to check vitals," Torno said. "Now we can move towards once every eight hours. It allows us to do higher patient-to-nurse ratios."
The health system has not moved to a 1:8 nurse to patient ratio but the Biobutton does save time on checking vital signs.
Houston Methodist has collaborated with eVideon to help support their smart room initiative. They have implemented eVideon's Vibe Health solution into 32 rooms at their Houston Methodist West location. The Vibe Health solution includes:
• Engage TV + Insight whiteboard system/interactive TV solution personalizes the in-room experience to educate, entertain and engage patients.
• Aware digital door signs on iPads with lights provide dynamic real-time notifications and alerts to improve communication and efficiency.
• Integration of Epic data ensures real-time patient information for improved care coordination.
The technology is from different vendors. Tying the virtual connections together is an EHR-integrated digital whiteboard in patient rooms that displays key clinical information, and also helps with meal ordering and other services.
The idea for smart rooms began with the hospital's Center for Innovation as a way to ease staffing shortages. It is being implemented as Houston Methodist prepares to unveil the hospital of the future in 2025.
The smart rooms allow such tasks as admissions and discharges to take place at bedside through online communication with a nurse. It also works for virtual pharmacy consults.
Other health system innovation teams looking at the technology should first figure out what problem they're trying to solve, Torno said.
"There's all kinds of cool tech. Start small. Start with a pilot unit or two," Torno said. "It's really critical to have a (company) that's willing to test things out."
Ginny Torno is scheduled to talk about "Redesigning Care with Smart Hospital Rooms at Houston Methodist" on Wednesday, March 13, 12:15-12:35 p.m., at PE365 Theater, Hall D, Booth 5678 at HIMSS24 in Orlando. Learn more and register.
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org