The patient room of the future is a highly integrated, digitally smart healthcare environment that is designed to achieve the following: 

Seamless integration of patient data 

All relevant patient information is seamlessly integrated across systems upon admission. Digital tools such as patient bed cards and patient flow journey boards update the patient details in real-time as they are entered into the EMR, ensuring authorised healthcare staff have instant access to up-to-date information —empowering them to make informed decisions at the point of care. 

Unified communication 

With unified communication platforms, patients, families and care teams are constantly connected. The room supports secure messaging, SIP calls and video calls, ensuring timely updates and collaboration across care teams. Notifications about patient arrival, updates or requests are sent directly to the mobile devices of assigned care team members, promoting a responsive, cohesive care experience. 

Augmented reality and personalised patient interfaces 

Personalised, accessible care is at the heart of the digital patient room. Augmented reality (AR) interfaces display relevant information tailored to each patient’s unique needs, such as meal choices based on dietary restrictions or educational content presented in the patient’s preferred language.  

The system’s interfaces are adaptable, supporting voice commands for patients with mobility challenges or vision impairments, ensuring accessible healthcare for all and empowering patients in their care journey. 

Providing care at the bedside 

Staff can provide and document care at the point of care in the room.  

For example, any clinician who has access to the EMR can use their staff ID to tap on the bedside patient engagement and entertainment terminal and all the patient’s health information is automatically available at the point of care. 

Personalised care automation 

The digital room should include predictive safety features and smart, responsive features that can automatically trigger workflows based on individual patient information and predictive modelling. 

For example, the room of a patient at high risk of falling triggers proactive safety workflows. The falls prevention and detection system is automatically armed to detect high-risk activities, e.g. a patient in the bathroom when no staff are present. The system sends an alert to the right nurse’s mobile device, enabling prompt support by the pre-assigned responsible staff member.  

Advanced communication and task management 

The smart digital room enables healthcare staff to personalise workflows and reminders, tailored to each patient. With automated task reminders and hourly rounding alerts sent to staff devices, clinical staff are better equipped to maintain efficient, personalised care schedules, empowering accountability and streamlining task management. 

Robotics and automation 

With integrating robotics and voice-activated systems, the digital room can respond to patient needs efficiently.  

For instance, patients can request items such as blankets, through voice commands, and a robotic assistant bring those items to the room. This promotes patient autonomy and frees up staff time to focus on critical patient care tasks. 

Empowering connectivity and telehealth 

The digital patient room of the future reinforces social connectivity and wellbeing, allowing patients to easily communicate virtually with loved ones through the patient engagement and entertainment system.  

Care teams can also conduct virtual rounding and involve external specialists for telehealth services or call interpreters as needed, providing inclusive, patient-centred care.