Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

15 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE 'Beyond hotel features': Inside Valley Health's new hospital rooms By Rosie Talaga P aramus, N.J.-based Valley Health System opened a new hospital in April aer years of identifying and implementing patient- focused technology. CIO Eric Carey connected with Becker's to discuss the range of technology integrated into each patient room at e Valley Hospital, a 370-bed facility, to foster a patient- and family-friendly design. "We've spent the last couple of years spending a tremendous amount of time identifying new technology and implementing new technology, all with the focus on safety, clinical quality and operational enhancement, including future-proofing it," he said. Patients can access entertainment and educational resources from a 75-inch TV at the end of their bed. Additionally, each bed includes a pillow speaker that allows patients to control the room temperature, lighting and window shades. Instead of a preset menu or meal schedule, patients have 24/7 access to room service from which they can select from a variety of freshly prepared meals. While all patient rooms are private, there is a two-way cabinet system that provides access from outside the room for staff to restock supplies or replace linens without disrupting the patient. ere is an augmented intelligence fall monitoring system with a camera, speaker and microphone next to each TV. e camera focuses on the patient bed and de-identifies the patient by blurring them and converting the image into a stick figure representation. e AI can identify precursor movements that indicate when a patient is attempting to get out of bed. If triggered, the system sends alerts to the caregivers' cellphones to reach the patient before they stand up. "We've cut fall rates by up to 30% on some of our units by using this technology," Mr. Carey said. He added that the prominence of remote work affected the design when focusing on the family-friendly aspects. Each room includes a designated area with a futon and workspace for the patient's loved ones. "Everything about our rooms is very patient-centric," Mr. Carey said. "We're beyond hotel features at this point, which makes it a very good healing environment."n 'The bane of patient experience' that's starting to change By Mariah Taylor S tandard hospital gowns have long been "the bane of the patient experience," but a movement is underway to change that, according to an opinion piece in The New York Times published Oct. 21. The origins of the hospital gown are unclear, but it has been a staple of patient care since the early 20th century. The gown is designed to provide patients with physical privacy while allowing healthcare workers easy access for examinations and treatments, and it is easy to remove when patients are under anesthesia. It has also been described as a "democratizing uniform" that makes all patients look the same, but also a "dehumanizing garment" that signals someone is a patient, according to Times style columnist Vanessa Friedman. Though patient fashion is not a top priority for hospitals, efforts to redesign the gown have emerged over the years. In 1999, Cynthia Rowley redesigned the gown for Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center, and in 2010, Diane von Furstenberg created a new gown for Cleveland Clinic. Private companies are also taking on the challenge. Care+Wear, a medical wearables company, collaborated with Parsons School of Design students to create a kimono- inspired gown that is used at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and about 90 other institutions, according to the company. Some studies have linked better recovery outcomes to a sense of dignity and control over one's appearance. While changes to the hospital gown have been slow, a cultural shift toward patient-centered care is driving the development of a new generation of gowns, Ms. Friedman wrote. n

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