When evaluating entertainment solutions for your patient experience, you want to be sure the device and connected hardware are safe, proven, reliable, and are intuitive to patients. Here’s a holistic overview of elements you should inspect to ensure you select the best arm-mounted bedside entertainment system for your patients.  

Do you wish you could provide more entertainment and relaxation features through your patient TVs without the added cost or long set-up process that interactive patient systems require? 

It's no secret that anxiety plagues patients as they go through the uncertainty of healthcare treatments. Anxiety can also be exacerbated by medical circumstances such as drug use, phobias and mental disorders. Typical hospital environments don't make it easy for a patient to relax. The beeps of various medical machines, bustling hall noises, even the distinctive smells that waft through a clinical setting are enough to cause tension in a patient.

Healthcare-grade TVs offer patients added entertainment and relaxation options, no internet required. 

No internet, no problem! Driven by the mission of improving patient experience with entertainment technology since 1980, PDi Communication Systems, Inc., launched a unique line of large screen, healthcare-grade flat panel LED patient HDTV televisions that have integrated smart apps: The PDi A-Series. These TVs offer patients added entertainment and relaxation options for facilities not yet ready to turn on internet access. PDi is the nation’s largest manufacturer of complete healthcare-grade entertainment solutions from 14” arm-mounted tv or touchscreen systems thru 55” wall TVs. The A-Series by PDi is available in screen sizes 24”, 32”, 42” and 55”.

The A-Series changes the game in patient entertainment by using simple, thoughtful technology and design to provide more entertainment options to offer patients now, while providing a smart future-proof choice. 

 When it comes to their care, what do patients actually say about what they want?

Dayton Children’s Hospital takes healthcare innovation and patient comfort to new heights in its new 8-story patient tower, which opened in June 2017 in Dayton, OH. From the first steps inside, the tower feels less like a sterile hospital and more like a children’s adventure land to explore. Full of color, open space and interactive play areas for kids, the theme of the tower pays tribute to Dayton’s key role in the innovation of human flight. Everywhere guests look they see “things that fly.” As patients and guests travel up to the patient floors, they encounter cutting edge patient technology for entertainment, education and more.

User Experience (or UX) is the term that describes all aspects of a consumer’s interaction with a company, primarily those interactions that use technology. It is valuable because the quality of the user experience will influence whether the user chooses to come back and interact with the business again or recommend it to others. In healthcare, this is extremely valuable. First, a good user experience can influence a patient’s responses on exit surveys, which can only mean good things for you. Furthermore, going to the doctor or the hospital is not commonly thought of as a fun experience; patients are there because they must be there, and emotions are often running high. Creating a good user experience can help ease the stresses, frustrations, and discomfort the patients and their loved ones are feeling.

When shopping for entertainment solutions for patients, providers want to be sure the devices are safe, reliable, and are technically intuitive so they meet the high standards expected in healthcare. Since technology is constantly evolving, it can be challenging to know how displays differ technically from looking at them on the outside. Here's a checklist to check the hardware and software of the televisions to know if they are up to snuff to advance your facility to the cutting edge of technology and keep you there for years to come.

You are there for the crucial moments...

As healthcare providers it is your responsibility to care for patients during the crucial moments of their physical life. You guide individuals towards healing with your expertise and comfort them with your presence.

Part 3 of "Different Angles of Patient Engagement" Blog Series 

Previously, we discussed the experience of a large-screen footwall patient TV and considered the user experience of a hand held tablet, here we will look at placing an interactive patient tv at the bedside.