American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH) is the first pediatric hospital in the nation (and the first hospital in Wisconsin) to pilot a “MyChart Bedside,” a new tablet-based application that gives patients and caregivers access to important information about their health, their care team, and what to expect during the hospital stay.
In the pilot, parents of hospitalized children receive tablet computers loaded with the application to use throughout their hospital stay. The application displays photos of the child’s care team; allows for messaging with the care team; displays the daily schedule; and provides access to key portions of the patient’s medical record, including a list of hospital medications, test results, patient education, and the anticipated discharge date.
An initial survey suggested that parents found the application easy to use, believe that it helps them monitor and understand the care of their child, and believe that it helps to improve the quality of hospital care.
“Good communication is really at the core of good care,” explained Shannon Dean, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and chief medical information officer for UW Health. “We are continually looking for innovative ways to use health technology to improve communication between providers and patients, thereby improving the patient and family experience and the quality of care we provide.”