Customer Stories

What hesitation(s) did you have?

Well we had never seen it before and we didn’t know if anyone else had it and how it looked in a real life situation. We also were concerned about price and about the staff learning curve.

(How were those concerns/hesitations addressed?)

Scan Am (the MTR^® Team) worked with us to put in what we called a 'mini-system'. This answered most of our questions and allowed us time to make decisions about how we wanted our patient room boards to look, the layout of our whiteboards, the icons and wording for our Precaution Displays and to build our system to our requirements and preferences. The mini system also helped the staff adjust quickly and they found it easy to use and a relief from the concerns about new technology being a burden.

We did have to make trade-offs in our budget but honestly I don’t remember what we chose not to get to be able to afford the MTR system. Whatever it was - it is something we don’t miss.

How did the installation go?

Installation went well. The test or 'mini' system again was a big benefit in understanding appropriate placement of screens and equipment and proper sizes, etc. We remember that the MTR^® Team was one of the most responsive vendors and continues to be as they are very good at listening and taking into account the unique needs of our patients. We have been impressed by their responsiveness particularly in areas of customization and service.

How has the team accepted it?

The team is very proud of the system. When visitors come they enjoy showing it off. The team has also recognized the better use they make of the system the more the patients enjoy it and the more the patients enjoy it the more they find best use for the system. It gives both patients and the team joy to use.

The managers love the flexibility of the system for updating. The manager used to have to update the room board when she did rounding as it was more often than not out of date. Now it is updated and it is easily viewed (and updated) from any hospital workstation. I use the Room Boards for “Managing Up” when I am with the patient and family.

Additionally now we do what we call 'rounding with a purpose' and we use the patient room communication board as a tool. We review with the patient who their care team is (and they can see the names and pictures of the team) we discuss with them about their doctor. Often times a patient doesn’t know who their doctor is or who the doctor is today. This gives them great confidence and comfort to see the name and the face. We also use it to review their goals with them. This is a reminder of the steps they need to do to get well. It helps them stay focused and confident about their progress.

How are Families and Patients reacting?

Patients and their loved ones are happy to know the names and be able to recognize through the pictures their care team. They have told us they look forward to seeing the board change and knowing who is coming in next.

Additionally they appreciate the name and picture of the doctor. It gives them comfort to know who it is. Families in particular appreciate the rounding information that is automatically displayed. They find comfort in seeing how often their loved one is visited. It reassures them of great care. They also appreciate the ability to recognize the right people to talk to. Sometimes the Doctor is someone who was a stranger to them before.

What has surprised you?

We installed a lot of new technology in our new facility but the MTR^® system stood out as what everyone noticed, was excited about and wanted to know more about. With all we did we were surprised that visitors really primarily noticed the MTR^® system.

We have also seen a big change from before with the interaction of the Therapy Dept. They now can use their workstations in their dept. offices to update schedules for patients that show up on each patient’s Room Board as well as it’s visible to all caregiver’s via their workstation views and the larger (Electronic White Boards) EWB’s. This has been a real help to the Nursing Staff vs. how it was done before on paper.

What would you do differently if you could do it over?

We would have added the EWB’s in the Nurse Station and the Report Room earlier – they are great tools that we didn’t anticipate when we started.

How has the system impacted your Patient Satisfaction Scores?

Overall..., our scores have improved. Our overall ranking moved from the low 80’s to 92%. The system has impacted questions such as less noise as we have fewer call lights and more importantly the question of “Nurses always communicated well” has been positively impacted through use of the Patient room board.

What plans do you have for the system in the future?

We are always working on improving our processes and we have been pleased with Scan Am’s response to customizing the system for our environment. As you know we added Pain Goal information and are working as a team to use the Goals section even more for the benefit of our patients.

Anything else you would like to share with us?

Rounding used to be a task that sometimes was resented. That is no longer the case. Through the visual reminders the team knows what needs to be done and when. While everyone was always willing to help each other out before there was a problem with communication. Now the whole Team SEE’s what rooms need rounding and they just do it. The team is happier and more importantly the patient is happier.

The Precaution Display has also greatly assisted in many ways. Not only can they see the rounding status outside the patient room they also have, through the use of the Precaution Display, the key information such as allergy or Isolation, before entering the room.

Now anyone can answer a call light as well since key information is displayed at the nurse station whiteboard including allergy, fall risk and isolation. It creates an environment that fosters teamwork.

We also do our daily huddle around the Whiteboard display in the nursing conference room. This has proven an effective tool in providing visual cues and reminders in sharing patient progress and goals. Our ED department really appreciates their board too. It creates good inter-department communication. The lab staff and doctors can easily see where each patient is. One doctor has taken to sitting near the board to do his paperwork and hand-offs to next shift.

While we enjoy all aspects of the system including Rounding, Precautions Displays, Workstations and Whiteboards what really stands out are the Patient Room Communication Boards. The old boards were not up-to-date and not informative.

This system has "Jumped us miles ahead as being a communication board vs the old template marker board."

How highly would you recommend this system to other hospitals?

10/10