Kameda General Hospital Adopts Bedside Information Terminals in 300 Private Rooms
- Customer
- Kameda General Hospital (Kameda Medical Center)
- Industry
- Medical & Healthcare
- Contec products
- DIT-1000 Bedside Information Terminal
- Goals
- Enhanced customer service, Enhanced features, Quality improvement
Kameda General Hospital replaced its bedside terminals with the Contec DIT-1000 in all 300 rooms of its private-room tower, giving patients instant-on HDTV, internet, meal ordering and access to their electronic medical records.
Overview
Kameda General Hospital, part of Kameda Medical Center in Kamogawa, Chiba, is a main hospital in southern Chiba Prefecture. Its “participating medical care” concept invites patients to take an active part in their treatment, and its rooms are designed to feel like home, with resort-style amenities and, in some rooms, ocean views. It regularly ranks near the top of patient-based hospital rankings.
Challenge
Patients spend most of their stay in bed with limited entertainment and information. In 2005 the hospital installed bedside terminals in all 300 rooms of its private-room facility, K-Tower, but patients complained: the screens were smaller than home TVs, picture quality was poor, and TV could not be watched until the computer had started.
Solution
In March 2012 the hospital switched to the Contec DIT-1000, a panel computer with an 18.5-inch wide touch-screen LCD and an independent HDTV function. The TV runs separately from the computer, so patients can watch as soon as they turn it on.
- Universal design with rounded display corners
- Built-in tuner for terrestrial digital and two satellite digital broadcast systems
- Energy-saving LED backlight
- Windows Embedded Standard 2009 for building terminal applications
- USB and HDMI interfaces for connecting video cameras
- 6W stereo sound and a headphone jack
Besides TV and the internet, patients can use email, online shopping, concierge services, restaurant room service and hospital meal selection, and view their electronic medical records linked to the hospital network, which improves information sharing and trust between patients and staff.
Results
Patients enjoy live baseball and sumo in high-quality picture and sound, watch home videos of their grandchildren from a connected camera, and browse quietly without disturbing others.
Hospital Director Shinsuke Kameda noted that the hospital had worked with Contec on a wireless LAN system for electronic medical records more than ten years earlier, and that Contec resolved image and sound quality issues while building in the hospital’s needs. The hospital plans to extend the terminals beyond the private-room ward.
Contec products used
Originally published by Contec Co., Ltd. at contec.com.