Clinical Benefits of Hospedia Bedside Units and SPARK® Media

These legacy units are old pieces of kit that were introduced in the early 2000s. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have some cracking features to help educate patients and make them feel more comfortable in hospital. There are two versions, the older T2 that has a remote control; and the younger T3 that is touch screen.  

Patient Safety Video

Both units have the Patient Safety Video. By watching this, the patient knows what to expect while in hospital, what rules to follow, and have a greater understanding of how their hospital stay will go. They can also watch this as many times as they like. If a dementia patient forgets some of the protocols or is confused as to why they have to wear compression socks, the nurse can simply show them the video again.  

A-Z Health Index 

The T3 units help patients be more involved with their treatment thanks to the accessibility of the NHS A-Z Health Index. Perhaps the patient forgot what the doctor said about their condition or haven’t fully processed the information they were told. Access to the Health Index allows the patient to search for their condition and read more about it. Therefore, educating them and making them more involved with their recovery process. The more they understand, the more they can help themselves and ask the right questions.  

GP Services 

These units also make ordering prescriptions easier while in the hospital. There’s a direct link to access GP services so they can order their prescription to the hospital for when they get discharged. No need to go home, order the prescription, then go back to the hospital to collect it. This convenient feature saves the patient time and money.  

SPARK® Media Provides Healthcare Education Information

As SPARK® Media is a more modern platform that utilises the BYOD solution (Bring Your Own Device), it’s capable of a lot more. This is a virtual service that translates onto any existing device within hospitals that have opted for it. SPARK® Media offers entertainment, education and engagement on smart devices, which compliments the bedside units already available. SPARK® Media comes in the form of Lite and full Media. Both versions can host NHS resources to help educate and engage patients. 

Healthcare Information to Better Inform Patients

SPARK® Media has a dedicated tab called 'My Care'. This tab typically hosts the NHS A-Z Health index, Medicines A-Z, Give Blood Website, NHS Healthy Living and more. This is the start of providing information to patients so that they are better informed of their condition and have the opportunity to better educate themselves. 

More tabs can be added, such as 'Information' which Trusts typically use to provide links to the hospital map, services, wait times and more. All of the tabs on SPARK® Media can be customised to display anything the Trust wants. This includes linking to video resources such as the NHS Choices Video Library.  

Providing information on patient's own devices means they are more likely to investigate the platform at their own leisure, and works better for those who are more comfortable using a known technology rather than the bedside units. 

The Future of Patient Engagement 

SPARK® Media is brilliant for visitors and those patients who are waiting to be seen. However, because it's only available on a web platform and on patients own devices (BYOD), there are certain limitations. Therefore, SPARK® Media isn't the best solution for patients who have been admitted and in a hospital bed. The current Hospedia Bedside Units, for patients who have been admitted, are decades old and don't have integration features. It's apparent that the current bedside patient entertainment solution does not stand up to modern technology. 

SPARK TSL has the solution. Introducing SPARK Fusion.

This solution is new to the UK but proven in the Netherlands. It's a managed tablet solution, primarily on iPads that can be mounted to the bedside using existing Hospedia infrastructure (wall mounts and arms), or as a tablet leant out to patients. With this technology and HL7 integration, SPARK Fusion brings Smart Nurse Call, Meal Ordering, Translation Services and E-Prescribing to name a few. All available to the patient's fingers. 

Because it's an iPad, it supports apps. There are some amazing healthcare apps out there, but no easy way for NHS staff to access and support them on one connective platform. Until now. SPARK is bringing modern solutions to NHS problems, improving the overall patient experience.