Ernest Hemingway said, "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." Listening, not just imagining, is essential to being a great writer. One could also argue that listening is key to being successful in any line of work, and may be a particularly critical skill in healing environments.
In today's hospitals and health facilities, there are times, however, when the ability to listen and understand are compromised. "We know there are 25 million limited English proficiency (LEP) patients in the U.S.," says Amy Stromswold, product manager at
Stryker Corporation. "We also know these patients are 46 percent more likely to experience an adverse event during their hospital stay due to communication challenges. So we found a way to help by programming 39 different commands in 24 different languages into our
InTouch critical care bed."
That's right, cars don't fly (sorry Jetson hopefuls), but hospital beds can now talk -- in 24 languages. The InTouch beds don't have full conversations with patients and won't eliminate the job of hospital translation, but they do supplement communication by helping nurses translate common questions and information like: "Are you comfortable?," "We're going to turn you on your left," "Press this button to call a nurse for help" and "What is your pain level?"
Finding ways to strengthen communication is nothing new in health care. In fact,
The Joint Commission, the nation's health care accrediting body, continues to stress refining communication with patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, have limited proficiency in English or those with low literacy skills.
"According to national surveys, communication between the provider and patient is a significant opportunity for ongoing improvement," Stromswold says. "As we look to find solutions that facilitate better communication and a better overall patient experience, voice/speaking technology and other relevant applications will likely remain an area of focus for Stryker and the industry as a whole."
Paul Lange, MD, medical director, Borgess Critical Care Services says, "Whenever you're caring for patients who are critically ill or injured, people who may be in the hospital for many weeks, if not months, the bed plays a vital role in not only their care, but also their return to health."
Thirty of Stryker's InTouch beds were recently added to the Borgess Neurologic Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Surgical Unit, Cardiac Care Unit and Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
"Anything we can do as caregivers to augment communication is a huge advantage," Dr. Lange says. "Exceptional care starts with exceptional communication, and these beds help us deliver that exceptional communication."
Beyond words, the beds soothe with sounds as well--everything from the white noise of a fan to the babble of a creek to Pachelbel's Canon in D. The music and sound features reduce ambient noise, creating an environment that promotes more restful sleep.
Another smart innovation is the intuitive touch screen, a feature that allows busy nurses to both talk the talk and walk the walk.
"The touch screens allow us to customize care," says Chris Hill, a registered nurse (RN) in the Borgess Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit. "We now have access to a host of additional critical care information right at the bedside that helps us continuously document treatment and streamline paperwork. For example, we can input the patient's turn schedule and get helpful reminders. The beds will actually remind us to move a patient if he or she has been in one position too long."
Safety is boosted on the InTouch beds because they come equipped with Stryker's Chaperone Bed Exit Alarm System, which is especially advantageous in critical care settings, where patient mobility is a common problem. The system features technology that monitors patient position, alerting medical staff to changes via local or remote alarm, and even includes spoken commands.
While the beds keep patients from getting up unassisted, they also assist patients by enabling caregivers to get them moving around faster. "Mobility is difficult to achieve with the constraints of the illnesses and injuries we see," Dr. Lange says. "With the new beds, patients can be placed in various positions with less hassle. It's made things a lot easier for our nurses to move patients and get them moving again, which could lead to shorter hospital stays."
Sophisticated brake controls and a motorized drive system encourage easier transport, too. The goal is to reduce injuries and simplify some of the tasks caregivers perform every day.
"Traditionally, brakes are located on the base of the bed, making for unnecessary bending and stretching. We put a one-touch electric brake on all four sides of our bed, so there's less straining," Stromswold says. "There's also a Zoom Motorized Drive System that makes transporting patients easier. It takes a single caregiver to ‘drive' the bed instead of two to push it."
Not last and certainly not least, when paired with the
XPRT support surface, the InTouch beds can aid in preventing and treating pressure ulcers, as well as provide therapeutic modalities like percussion and vibration to speed the healing of individuals with certain acute injuries.
"The support surface is semi-integrated into the InTouch frame," Stromswold says, "meaning the caregiver can control all of its functions from the foot-end touch screen. There's also a place to type in notes on the screen, improving communication between the nursing staff."
More than 70 years ago, Dr. Homer Stryker, founder of the Kalamazoo-headquartered Stryker Corporation, designed circular beds on the ground floor of
Borgess Medical Center. "Dr. Stryker's initial medical inventions were the start of something great for patients throughout the world," says Susan Shafer, assistant director, Borgess Critical Care Services.
From the roots of Dr. Stryker's first inventions grew an innovation that speaks volumes when it comes to listening and responding to patient needs.
Amie Heasley is a freelance writer who lives in Portage.
Photos by Erik Holladay.