The German Maria-Hilf hospital has recently embarked upon an innovative pilot project to enhance the comfort and well-being of patients as well as healthcare staff: it installed 80 networked beds, connected to Barco Smart Terminals via Bluetooth.
Barco’s Smart Terminals provide patients with instant access to full entertainment and communications services: they can make phone calls, watch television, surf online and order meals/drinks. Thanks to the Bluetooth connection with the networked bed, patients can also control their beds (e.g. adjust the height) and access hospital management functions.
“Barco’s Smart Terminals already allow the multimedia entertainment that most of our patients enjoy in their everyday lives to follow them into hospital, thus greatly enhancing their quality of life during their stay. Now they can also improve their comfort too by adjusting their beds using a simple touch screen interface,” said Michael Wilke, Managing Director of the Alexianer Krefeld Hospital, which includes the Maria-Hilf Hospital.
The hospital is planning to extend the concept considerably in the future to include remote monitoring of the patients. Sensors in the beds, for example, can be used to alert healthcare staff if a patient leaves the bed or if the bed becomes wet. In this way, the networked bed concept not only enhances the comfort and well-being of patients but also improves the workflow of nurses and doctors.
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