Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital unveiled a new technology for the betterment of patients on Wednesday, officials said.
AvaSure’s TeleSitter Technology is a system that is designed to connect caregivers more closely with patients and families while improving the quality of care delivered, according to Henry Mayo officials.
This new technology is part of Henry Mayo’s “Fall Prevention Program,” which is intended to keep patients safe and allow Henry Mayo patient care associates (PCAs) to spend more time caring for patients.
“We have specific patients that meet certain criteria that don’t need a physical body present, but can use the robot services from the AvaSure product,” said Jennifer Castaldo, Henry Mayo vice president and chief nursing officer. “The TeleSitter devices will give our nurses and PCAs more time to spend with patients, while at the same time keeping our high-risk patients safer.”
Castaldo mentioned how the need for their PCAs to be bedside with patients is becoming more of a necessity.
“PCAs are the people who are really the bedside touchpoint for patients. All those caring compassionate pieces, that’s the purpose of the PCAs,” said Castaldo. “PCAs often are that person sitting in the room as a sitter as supposed to providing patient care. The PCAs now get back to the bedside and they are able to provide the care that other patients need as well because of this device.”
AvaSure’s TeleSitter Technology is made up of mobile or fixed room devices with 360-degree pan, tilt, zoom cameras, allowing the monitor staff to see anywhere in the room, including fine details such as whether a pulse-oximeter is still attached, according to AvaSure. There are also audio features, where the monitor staff can talk to the patients, or vice versa.
Besides being able to monitor patients remotely, the AvaSure system can translate in 20 different languages, allowing for more patients whose first language is not English to be helped. The system can also monitor up to 12 patients at a time.
The device has many privacy features as well, including privacy screens that can be turned on when patients feel uncomfortable having a camera monitoring medical tests and other daily life. There is a bright light above the camera that is on when the camera is monitoring. That light turns off when the privacy screen is deployed.
“The most important thing that is important for the community and future patients to know is that it doesn’t record,” said Castaldo. “When the patient is in the room it is not recording them. It’s really as though you have a physical body sitter there, except for now it is done remotely.”
Henry Mayo plans on implementing this technology as early as Friday.
For more information, visit AvaSure’s website.
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