Georgetown realizes that next to health, time is precious.
Now patients
at any of Georgetown's outpatient clinics, inpatient units and hospital waiting
areas can use their time productively to catch up on e-mail, connect with loved
ones, surf the Internet and even download entertainment. The entire hospital is
now a wireless Internet hot spot, giving patients and visitors the ability to
access the Internet for free through
their own personal wireless devices.
 |
| Reggie Bazemore, a recent patient, says that providing wireless Internet access is "One of the best things Georgetown
has ever done!" |
"Having wireless Internet access has been wonderful,"
said Linda Kim, Child Life specialist at Georgetown. "its been most beneficial
for our teens, who come here and feel they lose touch with their friends. Now,
with Internet access, they can get on IM [instant messaging] and e-mail, check
their MySpace page and really just stay close to their friends."
Parents are finding it a valuable tool as well. Tammy Davis' infant daughter, P.K., was the recipient of a triple organ transplant at Georgetown seven months ago. For Tammy, the ability to connect with loved ones around the country made all the difference in how she copes with the stresses associated with mothering a hospitalized child.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Tammy set up a CaringBridge Web page with updates of P.K.'s progress. This free service offered by Georgetown in partnership with CaringBridge, a nonprofit organization founded by parents of hospitalized children, allows patients and their families to create Web pages where they can share stories, post images and stay in touch with loved ones.
CaringBridge is simple to use and makes it easy to stay in touch without having to make multiple calls. "CaringBridge was so convenient. It allowed me to put a daily note in there, giving updates to everybody,
so I could spend time with my baby rather than on the phone with each relative and friend" notes Tammy.
Thanks to Georgetown's new free wireless service,
communicating online is now easier than ever. When P.K. was recently
rehospitalized for an infection, Tammy could sit by her daughter's hospital crib
and communicate with her support system at the same time. "There's a guestbook
for people to sign in and offer support and prayers. I check it every day."
"It's been wonderful" said Clinical Manager Melissa
Balok, BSN, RNC. "Our staff is excited to offer an amenity that contributes
positively to our patients' overall satisfaction with their stay."
The free wireless access allows patients to utilize the
hospital's award-winning Web site, which offers an array of helpful tools.
Housed on the hospital's home page, it lets patients watch and listen to
discussions on a variety of health topics, including lung cancer, transplants,
varicose and spider veins, migraines and epilepsy
as part of the Ask a Doc video education series. Community lectures
on high-interest topics such as movement
disorders, migraine headaches and epilepsy are available for viewing as well.
Patients and visitors can access free Internet using a wireless-enabled
device with a standard Internet browser and a Wi-Fi (802.1 lb) card. Meanwhile,
Georgetown uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to ensure that patient
related materials are never compromised.
Together, these measures are part of a larger commitment at Georgetown University Hospital to make real-time communication a core component of quality patient care. Hospital President Joy Drass, MD, sees these upgrades as another way Georgetown achieves its mission "of cura personalis”caring for the whole person, because it offers our patients and families a way to keep in touch with the world going on outside of
the Hospital."
For Tammy, the support of CaringBridge has continued even now that P.K. has gone home. "We still have our difficult days" she acknowledges. "But a posting on the site that says 'Hey, we're still praying for you' can lift me right up."
