Interactive Patient Care Technology Improves Outcomes in Heart Failure Care

A hospital bedside technology solution offers significant improvements in heart failure readmission rates, average length of stay, and patient satisfaction.

The Heart Failure Interactive Care Plan is powered by a proprietary workflow engine called Patient Pathways that helps automate patient care processes, and guides patients through critical aspects of their stay, inviting them to learn more about their care, condition, and safety. The system can interface with existing hospital systems, enhancing workflow without requiring the staff to use additional software or take additional steps. Tasks such as education ordering and medication dispensation can be carried out as usual, from within the hospital's clinical system. The system can then automatically trigger a customized pathway to engage the patient in the care process, sending information back to the hospital's clinical system for documentation in the patient's electronic medical record (EMR).

The system comprises a head-end unit with high performance servers designed to support application and database services, private networking, firewall protection, remote access monitoring, and system maintenance services. The system also provides support for redundant power supply and surge protection, and is housed in one full height, high-density rack unit. Each patient-room display device (usually a television monitor) is equipped with a digital set-top box that acts as a controller and conduit between the head-end hardware and the display device. Patients and other end users access the system through a pillow-speaker and accompanying keyboard for text input, or via an optional remote control. Thus, the system transforms the television in the patient room into an interactive resource during the hospital stay. Patients can access an education library, entertainment options, surveys, service request menus, and more, directly at the bedside. The Heart Failure Interactive Care is a product of GetWellNetwork (Bethesda, MD, USA).

"With so much attention in health care today being devoted to improving heart failure outcomes, especially reducing hospital readmission rates, we are excited to be able to report these results,” said David Wright, chief outcomes officer of GetWellNetwork. "This study is a clear example of the impact patient engagement has on advancing quality, cost and even service outcomes in hospitals today. When patients have the resources to be a more active participant in their care, the overall care experience is exceptional.”

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