August 4, 2016

The Scoop

As Pokemon Go Hits Hospitals Mass General and Others Stop Staff from Playing

The Pokémon Go ruckus has taken hold in U.S. hospitals and some are already instructing employees not to play the game at work or while on facility grounds.

Users playing the augmented reality app track down characters and catch them in real-life locations – and that has caused headaches at various hospitals due to players wandering around campuses in search of the digital characters.

Officials at Massachusetts General Hospital on Thursday sent an email to staff asking them to keep from using the app while working in the facility, according to Sek Katherisan, MD, a preventive cardiology physician at MGH who posted the message on Twitter early Friday morning. Healthcare IT News, more...

Data Overload May Impede Healthcare Internet of Things Growth

The Internet of Things (IoT) may simply be too hot for the healthcare industry to handle as organizations continue to struggle with the huge amount of data produced by wearables, sensors, remote monitors, and other medical devices.

Forty-two percent of participants in a cross-industry poll conducted by Strategy Analytics said that the Internet of Things produces too much data to analyze efficiently, despite the fact that 56 percent believe big data analytics is driving greater reliance on IoT technologies.

"While data analytics emerged as the top reason for an IoT deployment, a significant percentage of companies struggle with how to analyze that data to benefit their business," said Andrew Brown, Strategy Analytics Executive Director of Enterprise and IoT Research. HealthIT Analytics, more... 

Pediatric Simulation Center Provides Realistic Learning Environment

Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, has opened an on-site pediatric simulation center that features an exact replica of a children’s intensive care unit (ICU) where staff and students can gain realistic experience.

The simulation center will provide health care staff and medical students with a safe and realistic environment to train and practice high-risk procedures and increase team communication, coordination and skills.

In 2015, Children's Minnesota staff participated in more than 4,000 hours of training at an off-site location or as space was available in patient units.

With a dedicated on-site facility, the simulation center will be more easily accessible for staff, especially those on night and weekend shifts in Minneapolis. Clinicians also will use the center across the Children's Minnesota system, as well as clinicians in the region. Health Facilities Management, more...

Designing a Physical Healthcare Facility for Virtual Care

Virtual patient care, or “telemedicine,” has been a healthcare delivery option for decades now. In 1989, the Medphone Corporation developed the MDphone, a portable electronic cardiac treatment system for patients at risk of suffering a heart attack at home. When activated, the system dialed the associated hospital’s cardiac care unit. The user placed electrode pads on the patient, while healthcare professionals operated the defibrillator. This product brought patient care to the home, circumventing the potentially fatal risks associated with traveling to the hospital.

Despite developments in mobile communication technology in telemedicine, so far, few facilities have adapted or been developed to incorporate it. In collaboration with Mercy, Forum Studio has designed the Mercy Virtual Care Center, the first state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the development and practice of telemedicine.

Located in Chesterfield, MO, the 4-story, 125,000 square-foot center contains no beds. Rather, it features state-of-the-art technologies that allow medical professionals to deliver quality care to patients anywhere in the world. METROPOLIS, more...

Building Wellness: Top Reasons Facility Assessments are Critical for Healthcare Organizations

In the healthcare environment, decisions to demolish, renovate or build new facilities are not to be taken lightly. Many healthcare systems are struggling with increasingly obsolete buildings, systems and facilities with diminishing budgets, especially in regard to operations and maintenance.

Healthcare regulations surrounding life safety and accessibility are getting stricter and more complex. It is critical for healthcare organizations to know how buildings and systems are performing, where there are optimization opportunities and when a facility’s maintenance, repair and replacement deficiencies might outweigh its monetary value to the organization. Health Facilities Management, more...

Nonclinical Staff Can Play a Key Role in Customer Service

The strict lines that once separated back-of-the-house operations from patient-facing roles is a bit blurrier in today’s health care landscape. In a 2015 Salary Survey, 55 percent of respondents said that their incentive compensations were tied to performance improvement metrics, such as patient satisfaction and quality of care. Mind you, that number comes from readers — such as environmental services (ES) managers and facility engineers — who aren't traditionally thought to have much of an effect on patient satisfaction or outcomes.

However, many health care systems today are adopting the motto that service doesn't begin and end only with doctors and nurses. Today, patient satisfaction is weaved into the fabric of every department.  Health Facilities Management, more...

Building Health At Home

Home design may not be the purview of healthcare architects, but as a nexus in a spectrum of spaces that contribute to health and well-being we should start paying more attention to where and how people live, especially as healthcare broadens its focus from treating sickness and disease to whole-body health.

A panel discussion on health and the home occurred at this year’s South by Southwest Festival with David Rhew, chief medical officer and head of healthcare and fitness at Samsung Electronics, and Dr. Scott Kaiser, a gerontologist and chief innovation officer with the Motion Picture Television Fund. Stuart Karten of Karten Design moderated the panel, which explored how space generates health.  Healthcare Design, more .. 

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