Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

5-30-2017

Keywords

Patient Education, Closed--circuit television, Sleep, Relaxation

Abstract

Objectives: To replace an obsolete VHS-based patient education system and to support noise coverage, and sleep and patient education initiatives in the hospital, the Librarian developed and licensed programming for two stations to run on the hospital's closed cable system via high definition media players. The development, challenges and lessons learned will be discussed.

Methods: The Relaxation & Patient Education Stations Project, funded in part by a NN/LM Pacific Northwest Region Pilot Project Award was designed to tackle two significant issues in hospital patient care: noise and patient education, plus provide the opportunity to promote library services. Research shows that while patient education has long been known to improve outcomes, noise negatively impacts sleep, increases stress, and is detrimental to healing. Anticipating the failure of an antiquated patient education system, the Medical Librarian developed a modern system that retained local programming control, did not require major upgrades in phone or infrastructure technologies and had a more acceptable cost compared to packaged systems. Two TV channels were developed by using high definition digital media players to send the programming through filters into the hospital's closed circuit cable TV system. The Librarian was responsible for licensing, digitizing, scheduling and uploading the programming which had been selected with input from clinical staff and specialty physicians.

Results: The two channels have been running for nearly 5 years. Schedules for both stations are based on a continual play configuration with 24 hours of programming repeating daily. Relaxation Station programming is 24 hours of music or natural sounds with videos of animals, fish or scenery or narrated guided relaxation.  The Librarian was able to create videos with hospital-licensed photographs, licensed music/sounds and basic Microsoft Movie Maker™ software. The Patient Education Station plays more than 70 licensed patient education, cardiac pre- and post-surgery and locally produced videos during the normal waking hours. At night, the station runs as a black screen with the continuous sound of a fan for noise coverage or other sleep needs. Library marketing and patient reminder messaging appeared between programs as well as on a TV Channel Guide placed in the rooms. Facilities engineering and biomedical technicians provided assistance with cable filters and troubleshooting. Challenges included estimation of the time needed to make videos and failure of the original media player to run consistently.

Conclusion: A hospital librarian can create a CCTV system to provide relaxation, sleep support and patient education to patients.

Department

Library Science

Comments

Poster presented at 2017 Medical Library Association conference in Seattle, WA.

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