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Town Hall Meeting MUSC to install bedside information system by Dick Peterson Public Relations Web development director Dave Bennett calls it an “interactive patient empowerment platform,” and it’s coming to the Medical University Hospital.  So what will it do? It will bring the Internet and communications technology to the patient’s bedside through the television system in the patient’s room.  “It consists of three major components, the TV set in the patient’s room, a keyboard and a remote. And through this system we will be delivering a number of services,” Bennett said in a presentation during the Medical Center Town Hall Meeting Jan. 26. Scheduled for phase-one roll-out in March, the Get Well Network—make that “getwell:)network” —will make MUSC the first hospital in the state to install a bedside information system and one of not all that many in country. In fact, Bennett says that only 20,000 beds nationwide are so-equipped. “It’s an emerging technology that leverages technology to improve patient care and satisfaction.” The system will allow the hospital to deliver patient education videos on demand to the patient’s bedside. “Our nurses, patient educators or physicians can actually prescribe video or other patient education content and drive it to the patient bedside,” Bennett said. “And we can also have interaction between the patient and that information and ultimately put that on the electronic medical record.”  He added that because the information is available on demand, it’s there for the patient when it’s convenient for the patient. “They can pause it, stop it, rewind —any of those sort of things.” Entertainment To offer patients an enjoyable stay in an MUSC hospital, while often here at less-than-enjoyable circumstances, Bennett acknowledged, the system will deliver selection from 30 premium movies. With the purchase of a $7 to $9 card, the patient can view as many movies as they care to in a 24-hour period. The platform can also deliver digital music, AM-FM radio, and virtually anything that is on the Web. It’s all available at the patient bedside. Internet access will give the patient the ability to surf online. Some sites, Bennett said, will be available at no charge, particularly those sites that have patient information related to the patient’s condition. “We can push information available on our Web  sites to them as well. “We also have the ability to allow them to access video games, a feature of obvious interest in the Children’s Hospital,” Bennett said. “I can tell you from other institutions we’ve talked to, they consider it a distraction. By utilizing these services, they keep kids occupied and in some cases, they have seen a decrease in the use of pain meds.” Patient Information and Feedback For the first time, patient satisfaction surveys can be driven to the patient bedside. “So now we can actually see how we’re doing and ask the patient how we’re doing.” Bennett said that by looking at the information patients have placed in the system, “the hospital can get a snapshot of what the patients are telling us about their stay.” The system will allow hospital officials to identify problem areas and areas in which the hospital is doing well. And the system can rate a patient’s pain. Bennett explained that the system can present pain scales that the patient can use to rate their pain, and the system then captures and documents that information. Patient Messaging One way to use patient messaging, Bennett said, is to tell the patient when appointments are scheduled. “We want to remind you that at 10:30, physical therapy will be here,” or “We’re running late in radiology, and ....”  Instant Responses Instead of burdening nurses with non-medical patient needs, patients can receive quicker responses to problems such as a malfunctioning toilet, a room that’s too hot or too cold, or meals that aren’t right. The system can deliver messages directly to the right people instead of using the nurses as messengers. Plan of Deployment Bennett said that the system will be delivered in three phases, the first being the Children’s Hospital and Phases 2 and 3, sections of the adult hospital. “Allow about a three-to-four-week gap between rollouts,” he said. “We know there will be bugs that we will have to work out and we’ll have to get feedback from the staff to make sure we’re successful with this.” A more detailed description of the getwell:)network can be found online at http://www.muschealth.com/getwellnetwork.     Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. 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