Nurturing the Critical Interactions between Caregivers and Technology

Chicago – June 13, 2011 – Steelcase Health continues to improve the quality of healthcare with furniture and tools that bring greater comfort, efficiency and convenience to the patient, caregiver and family experience.

Working closely with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, Steelcase Health develops products that seamlessly integrate emerging technology and enable caregivers to deliver better patient care. This year, Steelcase Health’s NeoCon showroom is all about leveraging research and insights with a focus on the critical interactions between caregivers and technology / information.

Healthcare continues to value the importance not only of the quality of information, but also the efficiency and effectiveness of the exchange. Steelcase Health’s NeoCon 11 showroom offers a variety of health spaces that demonstrate how Steelcase Health products support the appropriate integration between “high tech” and “high touch” that leads to an extremely positive healthcare experience.

What’s in Your Pocket?

Today’s healthcare work happens anywhere and everywhere. Caregivers are mobile workers and the technology that supports them also needs to be in motion.

Visitors to the Steelcase Health NeoCon showroom can experience how Steelcase Health’s Pocket family of mobile workstations supports caregiver work, communication and technology throughout a variety of environments.

The new “Pocket Gallery” features the Pocket “Tablet” – Steelcase Health’s latest mobile workstation, specifically designed to support the active work of healthcare professionals by accommodating both the demands of the task at hand as well as emerging portable tablet technology like the iPad, Xoom and Playbook.

A Flurry of Activity

The caregiver station is the hub of activity for staff in any healthcare facility. Caregivers are constantly communicating, multitasking and improvising.

Unlike enclosed spaces, most caregiver stations must balance communication with privacy protection. Steelcase Health’s Sync caregiver hub links caregivers, technology and information as never before, reducing communication barriers and encouraging proper workflow.

Collaboration between caregivers is increasing around electronic patient information and physicians are more and more frequently bringing their portable information devices to the “hub.” Increasing the ease of staff interaction around sharing information and encouraging simple, frequent exchanges could lead to reducing errors.

Steelcase Health’s caregiver hubs allow for easy integration of mobile workers to join the conversation with the docking area. Sync’s collaborative worksurface shape, supports large groups with clear sight lines and allows staff to naturally gather together to share information.

A docking station for the Pocket mobile surface supports the need for technology and power but also the social aspect of bringing the user back to the central hub for collaboration.

Immersed in Patient Care

With today’s team-based approach to care, the exchange of information among health professionals is more important than ever. With staff shortages, remote connectivity is more prevalent than ever.

Telepresence supports teaching interactions for residents or specialists sharing information. Eye-to-eye interaction on site is also important, because of the opportunity for mentoring during difficult decisions that require an environment removed from the hub of activity.

Steelcase Health’s “Immersion” staff-to-staff vignette presents a highly flexible environment conducive to the transfer of detailed information — either in person, or remotely — by ensuring that technology is correctly positioned for the most effective, human communication interactions. The space also allows for quiet, concentrative moments.

Growing complexity in healthcare is improved through collaboration — bringing together information and expertise. Steelcase’s media:scape effortlessly connects multiple devices to facilitate team conversations around monitors that simultaneously display data and video to reinforce important communications.

Add in a Sync height adjustable station to support multiple types of users and provide healthy ergonomics for long work periods. Eyesite arms support use of six telemetry screens — allowing the caregivers to focus on important patient information – all adding up to an impressive melding of technology and expertise.

These and many more vignettes are highlighted in this year’s Steelcase Health NeoCon Showroom, each with research-based, insights driving the design of each environment. To learn more, stop by the Steelcase Health showroom at the Merchandise Mart, Suite 3-101 at the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair, June 13-15 in Chicago.

About Steelcase Health

Steelcase Health is a company dedicated to providing user-centered solutions in healthcare. Steelcase Health views the healthcare environment as an integral part of the healing process and provides holistic solutions that focus not only on product, but space as a whole, delivering research-driven, evidence-based solutions to complex problems in healthcare environments. For more information on Steelcase Health please visit Health.