Hamilton Health

Did You Know? This article is part of an ongoing series about the advanced capabilities available through Hamilton Health Care System. Hamilton Medical Center Opens a Medical Observation Unit Hamilton Medical Center recently opened a brand new Medical Observation Unit. This special hybrid unit serves patients who arrive in the emergency care department and require several hours of monitoring, but do not need to be admitted to the hospital. In the past, those who have arrived with chest pains and other serious conditions have waited alongside others in the emergency care department for test results. Now, patients with these symptoms can be moved to a private room within the Medical Observation Unit. According to Hamilton Medical Center's Hospitalist Program and Utilization Management Director, Laura Conger, MD, "One of the reasons we established a medical observation unit at Hamilton Medical Center is to reduce emergency care department wait times and improve patient flow, particularly for patients who arrive experiencing chest pains." Once a patient is transferred to the Medical Observation Unit, he is given the benefit of a private room, meals, prescription medicine administration, and full visitation privileges. Cutting Edge Patient "Infotainment" in the New Medical Observation Unit Hamilton Medical Center is the first hospital in the U.S. to participate in a pilot study to test how an interactive media tool, called Mediavision, can help entertain and inform patients. As part of the pilot study, Hamilton Medical Center's new medical observation unit rooms feature brand new, state-of-the-art, medical grade, touchscreen computers that provide patients with access to interactive patient education and entertainment features like television, movies on demand, music, games, Internet access, and virtual visits called "EasyVisits" with family and friends. Due to the success of Mediavision in the Medical Observation Unit, the interactive media systems will soon be installed in patient rooms across the entire hospital. David Adams and Medical Observation Unit nurse, Amy Moore, RN Mediavision offers: • Television • Movies • Games • Classic audio books • Talk and music radio • Internet access • EasyVisits – virtual visits via webcam • Hospital information • Phone calls (local/long distance) • Interpretation services • Comprehensive interactive patient education Visit hamiltonhealth.com/mediavision or scan this code with your smartphone's QR code app to see a video demonstration of Mediavision. 2 | 3 What is a Medical Observation Unit? A medical observation unit is a special area of a hospital that serves emergency care department patients who require several hours of close observation, but do not necessarily need to be admitted to the hospital.

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