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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was making appearances throughout the healthcare industry, but due to pushback from certain healthcare providers and lack of urgent need, it was never widely accepted, until now. As the pandemic rapidly spread across the world, medical display companies were in a race to increase the safety and patient experience of the medical field through innovative display solutions. Family physicians and therapists were among the many providers to switch to virtual appointments, but there was still a need to fill the gap for the most in-demand and high-risk medical centers in America, hospitals and senior living facilities. This is where PDi Communication System, Inc. (“PDi), one of the oldest and largest medical TV design and manufacturing companies, combined forces with Nautilus Medical, a leading telehealth solutions company, to create the most simple and safest telehealth solution for patient and healthcare providers. They created the PDi medTab Telehealth Cart equipped with the Teleray video call system where patients could virtually meet with their healthcare team via a built-in camera and microphone. PDi and Nautilus had to address three main concerns from healthcare facilities that they face when choosing a tablet device: sanitation, security, and power.
Medical Displays and Preventing the Spread of Diseases
Any medical display needs to be able to withstand the constant application of harsh chemicals and is usually designed with antibacterial and hydrophobic films that do not diminish the touchscreen experience. Medical displays typically have a flat panel design to prevent germs and bacteria from settling inside hard to reach areas and often have an ingress protection rating demonstrating that the display is dirt, dust, and waterproof. This enables the medical displays to be cleaned with soap, water, and harsh chemicals that are required by medical sanitation standards without being damaged. These features are not found in traditional consumer or commercial tablets and are not equipped to withstand the demands of healthcare settings.
Confidentiality is also a major concern in the healthcare industry. Patients have expressed concerns over virtual appointments being recorded or devices retaining information. The Teleray video call system is HIPPA-compliant and the PDi medTab has an integrated auto-wipe feature that erases confidential patient information so you and your patients can continue to provide and receive the same level of confidential care.
Secure and Accessible Solutions
Security extends beyond patient information. Handheld patient tablets can easily be thrown out in bedsheets by cleaning staff, dropped, damaged, and stolen. When a patient has a handheld display they are likely to be constantly looking down which can cause neck, back, and eye strain, and having to hold the tablet prevents the use of their hands for other tasks like eating or being readily available for nurses to collect samples and perform testing. A wall-mounted medical display has easily adjustable angles and heights tailored to the patient for the most comfortable viewing experience and decreases the likelihood of the display being lost, damaged, or stolen. The PDi medTab has the ability to be installed on a transportable cart to be easily moved from room to room, or it can be installed on an adjustable wall mounted arm to bring the experience to every patient. Not all patients are found in a hospital, doctor’s office, or care facility. Some patients are immobile and benefit from in-home care. This is why the PDi medTab is available to individual consumers. Enabling your medical display to be available not only in bulk to medical facilities but also to individual consumers through certified retailers, allows for a broader brand reach and having a greater positive impact in the medical field.
Traditional consumer and commercial devices that doctors and patients use to conduct telehealth appointments over various video conferencing apps, not only don’t provide the same sanitation and security features but in most cases have limited battery life. They are generally anticipated to only be used by one person for a short period of time which makes them less than ideal for a healthcare facility where displays are used around the clock by an entire staff and multiple patients. The PDi medTab has internal cable management and operates on a plug-in power supply so there’s never a re-charging concern. Medical displays also have the capability to provide sharper imagery and higher 4K resolution. Medical displays with a high PPI and 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) provide the sharpest and most realistic view for medical professionals who have to view rashes, lesions, or incision sites during a virtual appointment. This enables a medical care provider to give more accurate diagnoses over a virtual appointment.
Benefits to Doctors and Patients
Medical displays are changing the way we do medicine for the better. They are increasing possibilities and flexibility for both doctors and patients. Besides technological features, there are many physical and emotional features that they possess as well. The main benefit of having a telehealth communication system is limiting exposure to infectious diseases beyond COVID-19. Doctors have the ability to pre-screen patients or do routine check-ups before the patient ever sets foot in the office. If the patient is sick or at risk of contracting a highly contagious disease, telehealth can assist in controlling the spread. Doctors also don’t have to suit up in full PPE to see a patient which can sometimes cause patient anxiety and shortages in PPE when doctors need it most.
The PDi medTab with Teleray software enables patients to not only meet with their doctors and nurses virtually but with their families and friends as well. We have learned that although social distancing is necessary in some cases, it can tend to make people feel lonely, depressed, and anxious. When a physically ill patient also has low mental morale, studies have shown that it actually increases the patient’s recovery time. The PDi medTab with Teleray has a simple user experience that also comes equipped with TV channels, games, news, internet access, and even relaxation sounds to improve overall patient satisfaction. Telehealth can also help patients save on transportation and child care costs because they are not having to go to a physical doctor’s office.
Telehealth Vs. Traditional Medicine
It is important to note that although telehealth might be ideal today and can be beneficial for certain situations in the future, it should never completely replace traditional medicine. Telehealth comes with diagnostic limitations that require sound or touch. A full physical evaluation of a patient is sometimes vital to accurately diagnosing a patient and that is something telemedicine will never be able to completely replace. It is also important for patients and medical providers to form long term relationships. There are security and comfort in a doctor-patient relationship where the doctor knows more than what meets the eye about their patient, such as; social environment, financial status, general lifestyle, and prior health conditions, all of which can contribute to new underlying health conditions that providers who don’t have that connection with their patient might not know about. There are many new and emerging telehealth platforms but their main focus is on speed and convenience, sometimes connecting patients with the next available provider. So for telehealth to be the most effective and have widespread adoption after coronavirus, it’s important that doctors do not convert to entirely virtual practice and instead use it as a supplement to the great care that they already provide.
Conclusion
Telehealth and medical displays are making industry-changing impacts in the medical field, both together and on their own. Together they are increasing the overall patient experience. Telehealth is limiting the spread of infectious diseases and medical displays are providing safe and efficient tools for healthcare professionals to continue to provide world-class care. Whether you provide software for patients to view their records, relax, and communicate with their health team or you provide the tools for doctors, nurses, and patients to interact, save lives, and be the healthiest version of themselves, it is important to keep in mind the three main objectives that every medical solution should fulfill: sanitation, security, and power.
About E3 Displays
You are in the business of saving lives and E3 Displays is in the business of making sure you have the necessary tools to do so. E3 Displays is trusted by the most elite medical professionals around the world to create innovative medical displays and has over a combined 20 years of experience, ORION certification, as well as ISO 9001:2015 and 13485 standards. E3’s innovative solutions provide impact resistance and safety enhancements to deliver the best patient care. E3 displays are designed for longevity and provide high-reliability touch screens for all medical use cases while improving performance, accuracy and efficiency. We have extensive experience in creating medical display solutions that meet optical specifications and custom touch panel features with custom chassis and computing solutions. At E3 Displays, we can help you create the next medical display innovation.
