Patient Education Made Easy
Posted on Fri, May 14, 2010
Traditionally, healthcare facilities have used TVs and VCR/ DVD players on large carts to deliver education to patients. The dirty, contaminated carts that have been handled by many hands are wheeled into patient rooms for patients to watch VHS tapes or DVDs. The hospital may only have a one or two copies of each video, therefore making other patients wait while the video is in use.
Hospital staff is burdened with finding videos, and TV carts, wheeling them to the patient, and making the content play for patients. This process uses valuable staff time, which is better utilized performing clinical tasks.
With the advent of video of demand and internet protocol televisions, the need for TV carts is greatly diminished. In-room patient televisions, like HCI's RoomMate IPTVs can deliver content directly to the patient television. TVs have now become Teaching Vehicles.
Educational content can be delivered to the patient television in two ways - via stand-alone television or networked television.
Stand-alone Televisions
Patients can access educational content a variety of ways. By pressing the "EDU" button on the TV's front keypad, pillow speaker, or visitors station, a list of available educational videos can be listed. The files are stored directly on the TV and can be changed by hospital staff easily at any time. Alternatively, when patients press "EDU" while watching TV, the TV will display a list of the hospitals' educational channels. Content can also be accessed by inserting a USB flash drive into the TV's side USB port. The TV automatically recognizes the USB drive and will list the files on the USB drive. Nurses and other hospital staff can bring educational content to patients in a quicker, easier, cleaner manner. No network or special software is required.
Networked Televisions
Educational content can also be stored on a server. And, because IPTVs have ethernet capabilities, they can be networked. Content libraries reside on the server and can be accessed via MediaLink or MediaCare. Hospital staff can send eduational content right from the nurses station using MediaCare.
By utilizing technology, hospitals and other healthcare facilities can educate patients in a more cost-effective, cleaner way while reducing non-clinical tasks.
To learn more about HCI's education offerings, visit www.hci-tv.com.