By Andrew Liszewski
A Dublin, Ireland based company called Lincor Solutions has created the MEDIVista which is a touchscreen LCD display designed to be used by patients, doctors and nurses for a variety of different purposes. The displays are mounted on an articulated arm next to the bed allowing healthcare workers to use it for medical reasons like displaying x-rays or information about medication management, while the patient can use it for entertainment purposes. This includes watching TV, listening to the radio or making calls over IP, surfing the web and checking email, playing web or network based games, enjoying audio books or even reading up on their condition.
The company has recently signed an agreement with the Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey to install the interactive displays on all 397 hospital beds in the facility. Thankfully I’ve managed to avoid having to spend any time in a hospital bed, but if I lived in Teaneck you better believe I’d start living dangerously just for a chance to play with one of these systems.
Is it really that wise to have such expensive, sensitive equipment for restless, disgruntled patients to use?? How many angry jabs at the onscreen “Call Nurse” button before the thing stops functioning? : P
I also wondered if giving hypochondriacs access to the internet in the hospital is really a good idea? Maybe the system allows search results to be filtered or blocked on a patient by patient basis.