Hospital Rooms of the Future

Some hospitals around the nation are now taking the next step in hospital care—transforming the hospital room from a room with a bed and television to a fully integrated, computerized room that recognizes caretakers automatically and notifies them of their patient’s status. With the advent of these smart rooms, patients no longer have to worry about medication mistakes due to a lost patient’s chart.

The room’s computers use voice recognition software to allow doctors instantaneous access to their patient’s information. Shuja Hassan, a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, expressed the need for such a system by saying that she “couldn’t tell you how many times, as a physician, she got to a nursing station looking for her patient’s chart, and it’s not there, somebody else has it.”

The caretakers are tracked around the hospital by using ultrasound tracking devices that detect small transmitters that doctors or nurses can wear. Each personalized transmitter sends the doctor’s name and job title to the computer, which then pops up on a monitor. This allows patients and their families to know exactly who is coming into and out of the rooms and why they’re there. The computer also displays medications that the patient should be taking. This allows both the doctors and patients to check and make sure that both sides are on the same page and helps to prevent medical mistakes.

Each smart room costs from $2000 to $3000. While this is an expensive upgrade, many physicians say that it is a critical step needed to improve today’s patient care.

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