At Monument Health, cameras in patient rooms give nurses more information to prioritize tasks.
With cameras in patient rooms, Lahr says, nurses will have more information to prioritize their tasks. For example, a nurse might need to change a dressing for one patient but be worried that another patient’s IV fluids will run out during that process.
“Now, they can just look,” Lahr says. “The camera can pan, tilt and zoom. You pop in with video, you angle the camera over to the IV fluids and you see that you have 45 minutes left, so you don’t have to disturb the patient. If we can chop off minutes here and there throughout the day, that turns into hours.”
One worker can monitor a dozen patients via video to make sure they’re not risking a fall from bed, she adds.
“Artisight’s algorithm allows us to understand what types of movements are more likely to result in a high-risk situation,” Lahr says. “Now, one person can monitor up to 40 patients, because the AI is curating that information and providing alerts. The AI is not replacing the per-son; it’s just allowing them to do more.”
DISCOVER: 5 ways AI and deep learning enhance patient care and hospital operations.
Patient Experience at the Center of Room Upgrades
The patient experience is one of the Guthrie Clinic’s top strategic plan priorities. The health system, operating in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, has put Apple iPad devices in patient rooms that allow them to access test results, call a nurse, order meals, view entertainment options and connect with their families via Zoom. Guthrie has also made a $5.5 million investment in new cardiac monitors as part of an effort to reduce noise in patient rooms.
“We are in the business of caring for patients, and they have a choice on where to go for care,” says CIO Terri Couts. “I can sit right here in my office at home and have a visit with a doctor at NYU or the Mayo Clinic. We want to meet our patients where they are instead of them having to meet us where we are.”