OhioHealth Demonstrates the Potential of 'Smart Rooms' in New Hospital

The health system aims to bring patients, families, and the care team together through smart room technology, says this CNE.

As many health systems employ AI technology and virtual nursing, the idea of a "smart room" has come to the forefront.

Smart rooms have stationary, built-in technology that can help improve nurse workflows and keep the patients safe and comfortable. Some of the technologies include ambient listening, virtual nursing setups, and smart beds and wearables that can help measure a patient's vital signs.

OhioHealth launched the new Pickerington Methodist Hospital in December 2023, which according to Cynthia Latney, senior vice president and CNE at OhioHealth, and HealthLeaders Exchange member, is an 86-bed hospital that will create a different experience for patients and their families.

According to Latney, the patients at OhioHealth are looking for value, safety, and connection with their caregivers, which are all aspects that can be addressed with technology.

"Coming out of the pandemic, we saw the benefits of using technology to help support our caregivers," Latney said, "and we saw the benefits of keeping our patients safe."

Technology

Latney was excited to bring the new technology, which is called the virtual care model, to OhioHealth, with the aim of bringing patients and families together.

The virtual care model, according to Latney, includes a large screen at the front of the patient's room and a camera. The patient can interact with the TV and use a tablet to find out who is on their care team, ask for the pharmacist or the meal trays, or to make general requests from the care team. Virtual nurses are also able to use the technology as part of their workflows.

The room technology also enables families to enter the hospital room without having to physically come to the hospital.

"If you're talking about somebody who's had a new baby and you have a large family, [and] you want to give the mom and dad some privacy, but they want to see the new baby," Latney said. "We're using the technology so the whole family can come meet the baby virtually and give the privacy to the mom and dad."

Integration with nurse workflows

The virtual care model has three aspects. The first is a primary nurse that sees the patient in person and is responsible for care. Then there is a patient care aid and the provider, and a virtual nurse who bridges any gaps.

"[The virtual nurse] sits in between the technology and looking at the medical record, and the care team that is seeing the patient directly," Latney said.

Many of the tasks that the virtual nurse does are what the primary care nurse can give to them, including shift reports, admissions and discharges, care coordination, and reviewing the record to make sure there is no missing documentation.

The virtual nurse also helps develop patient care plans and support new nurses.

"When you have a new nurse that comes into the room and they need support, then you have the [virtual nurse] that pops in that can be there in the background to help support them," Latney said, "or they can be the second eyes for a nurse who needs a double check."

A virtual nurse remains in place 24/7 to help no matter what, Latney said.

"Today when our nurses are thinking about leaving, it is about their environment and all the things they have to do," Latney said.

The virtual nurse helps reduce the bedside nurse's anxiety and their workload so that they can spend more time with the patient.

"As nurses, we want to be there for our patients and our families, and not spending a lot of time on the phone or in the medical record," Latney said, "but really be able to function and practice at the top of [our] license."

Outcomes

The nurse and patient reaction to the new hospital has been positive, according to Latney. The nurses value the technology and are happy to have someone there to help with documentation and pulling information, which is a burden that would typically fall on them.

The patients also appreciate having somebody there that they can call at any point for questions or other information without worry, Latney said.

"They understand the importance of having a primary nurse with them," Latney said, "but when they need to reinforce information or they have a question, they really think about their nurses and who they're pulling away from."

The care model has also benefited nursing students, according to Latney. New graduate nurses now have the support they need from a more experienced nurse at the push of a button.

"Our nursing students come into Pickerington Methodist Hospital, and they [say], 'I just feel so good that I have somebody that's with me,' and they can't wait to graduate and come join the team," Latney said.

In terms of ROI, Latney said service and quality scores have increased or remained positive, and staff satisfaction has been positive. Leadership asked the front lines to design the model collaboratively, so the staff felt valued throughout the process.

"We knew that they needed support," Latney said, "but we wanted to make sure that we designed it based on their feedback and what they valued."

Latney pointed out that the program is still new, and that it will take time to measure all of the possible outcomes of the new hospital.

"It's a new hospital, so we're going to need time to really evaluate the impact of this new model," Latney said. "At the same time, we understand this is a model for the future." 

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