Monday, May 17, 2021

PadInMotion: The World’s First Patient Engagement System Using Tablet Technology

 

PadInMotion:

The World’s First Patient Engagement System Using Tablet Technology

By:   Stephanie Hayes

            Technology is becoming increasingly important in healthcare. Technology is responsible for advancements leading to longer life expectancies for humans, but it has also improved healthcare delivery. In a healthcare system that is expected to be overwhelmed with older patients with multiple comorbidities and therefore resulting in higher costs to deliver healthcare services, innovative ways are needed to lessen this burden. PadInMotion offers a solution to this crisis.

            PadInMotion, a company based in New York City, was founded by three entrepreneurs: a cardiologist, an executive, and a finance professional (Padinmotion - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding, n.d.). The company’s goal was to make the hospital experience better, and in doing so, they developed the world’s first patient engagement system using tablet technology. Partnering with Samsung, PadInMotion offers preloaded tablets that provide personalized care, patient education, entertainment, digital food ordering, interpretation services, and health facility navigation (PadInMotion,n.d). PadInMotion also developed EZcall during the Pandemic to keep patients in hospitals and nursing homes connected to their loved ones. EZCall allows residents in nursing homes a quick, easy, and secure engagement with loved ones via one-touch connectivity (Marselas, 2020).

        The PadInMotion platform promises to improve patient experience, but it also enhances patient engagement. Patient education has been beneficial in educating patients about their health. The platform allows patients to receive education at both the healthcare facility and at home. Patients can download the app via the Apple Store or Google Play and use their patient access code to access health information. Patients can now receive their going-home instructions and any training they need on-demand and not feel overwhelmed by the stacks of paper that have been used since the 1980s. Patients can also share this information, which is especially important for older patients who rely on family to provide their care.

            The education the platform offers to patients can be very beneficial to the entire healthcare system. Complications often arise when patients and their families are not adequately informed about home-going instructions upon discharge.  This can result in re-hospitalizations and even death, costing the healthcare system billions of dollars.  Low medication adherence leads to 125,000 deaths each year and costs the U.S. healthcare system as much as $250 billion (Holland, 2020). Education is also provided when the provider has time, not necessarily when the patient and family can learn. As many patients are discharged with complex care needs, having this education readily available when needed is beneficial to both patients and families. According to their website, 90 percent of patients have reported that the platform helped educate them about their medical procedure; that they had no remaining questions following the use of the platform, and that the platform answered all their questions (PadInMotion, n.d.).

            Distrust in the U.S. Healthcare system is problematic and can be improved by providers using PadInMotion. The platform gives providers the ability to share electronic health records with patients, which is essential in maintaining accountability for providers and improving the provider-patient relationship.  When patients trust their provider, the visits are frequent and fewer resources are needed, whereas the opposite is true when patients distrust their provider. Allowing easy access to electronic health records for patients provides transparency of the patient’s medical condition. The patient education and interpretation program can also provide information that the patient can understand about their health condition, improving the provider-patient relationship and trust.

            Seniors are becoming more tech-savvy, especially as the baby boomers age; it is expected that they will be more demanding of technologies. PadInMotion offers healthcare providers an option to improve patient experience and improve patient engagement, leading to better health outcomes. The platform provides a seamless transition from healthcare facility to home with the ease of access to the medical information on the go. The platform is also HIPAA compliant, so providers and patients can feel secure in using it. The PadInMotion platform is currently only available in healthcare facilities located on the East Coast.  However, as PadInMotion receives more attention, the company will most likely branch out and be offered to all U.S. Health systems.

References

Holland, T. M. (2020, August 3). Good bedside manner: How PadInMotion improves patient experience. Samsung Business Insights. https://insights.samsung.com/2020/08/03/good-bedside-manner-how-padinmotion-improves-patient-experience-2/.

Marselas, K. (2020, November 4). PadInMotion offering HIPAA-compliant EZCall tool for SNFs - Products. McKnight's Long Term Care News. https://www.mcknights.com/news/products/padinmotion-offering-hipaa-compliant-ezcall-tool-for-snfs/.

Padinmotion - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding. Crunchbase. (n.d.). https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/padinmotion.

PadInMotion. (n.d.). https://www.padinmotion.com/.

Raveendran, H. (2020, August 20). Digital health solutions for a new era of care. Samsung Business Insights. https://insights.samsung.com/2020/08/20/digital-health-solutions-for-a-new-era-of-care/.

Siwicki, B. (2020, December 7). Mount Sinai-linked computer pads keep patients at home during COVID-19. Healthcare IT News. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mount-sinai-linked-computer-pads-keep-patients-home-during-covid-19.

About the Author

Stephanie Hayes has worked in long-term care for 19 years and currently serves as Clinical Reimbursement Case Manager for Heritage Ministries located in Chautauqua County, NY. She is also completing her M.H.A. degree at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. This blog post was adapted from her recent graduate “Gerontology” research

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