In recent years, hospitals and healthcare systems across the United States have been slowly adding artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This helps improve patient care and make hospital work easier. Medical practice administrators, healthcare business owners, and IT managers face many challenges. These include staffing shortages, nurse burnout, and the need to improve patient safety. One example is the work between Emory Healthcare in Georgia and Andor Health, a company that makes AI-powered virtual monitoring systems. Their partnership shows how AI can reduce pressure on hospital operations and keep care quality steady or better.<\/p>\n
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This article talks about how AI is used in hospitals, Emory Healthcare\u2019s experience with virtual inpatient monitoring using AI, and how AI helps automate healthcare workflows. It focuses on practical uses and results for healthcare leaders who want to try similar technology.<\/p>\n
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Hospitals in the United States face many ongoing problems. There are not enough clinical staff like nurses and nursing assistants, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping patients safe, watching at-risk patients all day and night, and making sure care teams communicate well are tasks hospital administrators deal with every day.<\/p>\n
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Traditional patient sitter programs use human staff to watch over patients who might fall, hurt themselves, or try to leave without permission. These sitters stay beside the patient and need many workers, which costs more money. Also, this method depends on staff being alert all the time but people can get tired or distracted.<\/p>\n
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AI technologies can help healthcare teams by providing constant virtual monitoring. This supports clinical staff by taking some of the monitoring duties away while keeping patients safe and communications clear.<\/p>\n
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Emory Healthcare, a big health system in Georgia running 11 hospitals and having nearly 24,000 employees, started using remote monitoring with its eICU program in 2014. The eICU program used telemedicine to support intensive care patients from afar. After seeing good results, Emory Healthcare teamed up with Andor Health to test a new virtual patient watcher called ThinkAndor.<\/p>\n
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ThinkAndor is an AI system that looks at real-time data to find safety risks. These risks include falls, self-harm, and patients trying to leave care areas. The special feature is that it acts like a virtual sitter without needing someone physically at the bedside. The system also uses voice activation to talk with patients. It can remind patients or guide them to reduce risks.<\/p>\n
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The pilot program began in November at two Emory hospitals. It started in 32 inpatient rooms with plans to add 50 more rooms next year. Previously, nursing assistants did the sitter work. Now virtual sitters watch patients remotely from a control center. This lets nurses focus more on bedside care instead of watching patients all the time.<\/p>\n
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Jason Atkins, RN and Vice President at Emory Digital, said that using Andor Health\u2019s system lessens nurses\u2019 workload and helps care teams work better in medical, surgical, and emergency units.<\/p>\n
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Dr. Alistair Erskine, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Emory Healthcare, said the partnership helps improve patient safety and care by adding virtual and AI tools into their healthcare model. The system has virtual observers working all day and night alongside registered nurses from a central monitoring center. This keeps watch on patients without needing more hospital staff.<\/p>\n
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Continuous Monitoring:<\/strong> AI virtual observation runs all the time without breaks or shifts, unlike human sitters. This keeps patients safe without gaps in watching.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n <\/p>\n Risk Identification:<\/strong> The AI system uses computer algorithms to spot possible safety problems. For example, it can see if a patient tries to get out of bed alone or shows signs of self-harm.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n <\/p>\n Direct Interaction:<\/strong> Virtual observers can talk with patients immediately through voice activation. They can remind patients, help calm them down, or guide at-risk patients without waiting for a staff member to arrive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n <\/p>\n Resource Optimization:<\/strong> AI sitters take over some watching duties, so hospitals need fewer extra staff for continuous observation. This helps during staffing shortages.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n <\/p>\n Workflow Integration:<\/strong> The AI shares data quickly with care teams. This allows fast responses to safety issues and keeps communication smooth between clinical personnel.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n <\/p>\n Cost Efficiency:<\/strong> Using AI instead of physical sitters lowers labor costs. Hospitals can then use staff for tasks where their clinical skills are most needed to help patients.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \n<\/p>\n