Written by A new term has evolved in the health care IT industry: “patient infotainment system”. What does it mean? It’s a computer that can be used for multiple purposes at a patient’s hospital bedside: for information (patient and health care provider) and for entertainment (patient). The computer obviously can be used for many other things: for communication, for diagnosis, and maintaining electronic medical records at the point of care. And, in addition to being used in a hospital, it can also be used in treatment centers and laboratories, in doctors’ offices to support telemedicine, and even for home health care.
Patient infotainment systems have been on the market for just a few years, but their adoption rate is increasing as hospitals update their IT systems and as they have become more affordable for hospital IT budgets.
In a sense, these “terminals” replace the wall-mounted TV in the patient room. Instead of a single-function TV, however, the hardware and electronics act as a fully functioning computer. They may look similar to a TV on the outside, but inside there is a world of difference. With connections and ports for communication and the Internet, patients can do just about everything imaginable: order their meals, watch TV and movies, play games, communicate with loved ones via VoIP, email, surf the Internet, or even do some work if allowed by their doctor.
CyberMed Medical Computer
What are the benefits for the patient? It comes down to choices. Rather than having a few TV channels available for viewing on a TV mounted on a wall across the room, the patient now has a more personalized view closer to the bed, and a multipurpose device to do other things if they wish. They can become more informed about their medical condition and diagnosis, communicate with their family, or engage in many forms of entertainment. It helps pass the time as the patient is continuing to recover.
Patient Using Infotainment System
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