Hospitals’ In-Room Cameras Enable Seamless Visits and Better Safety

Now, when physicians want to meet with a COVID patient virtually, they can launch the visit via their own tablets or smartphones and connect directly to the in-room television monitor. Or, if an onsite nurse determines a virtual consult is needed, he or she may notify a doctor through the telehealth portal and use the remote control from outside a patient’s room to cue up the TV.

The setup has reduced staff exposure to COVID-19, preserved personal protective equipment, and saved time and expenses associated with carting cleaning equipment from room to room.

Others in the medical arena agree. “These systems are going to be beneficial to both nursing and support staff in responding to a patient’s needs,” says James Welch, president and chief strategy officer with ARC Biomedical Consultants in Bend, Ore.