Medical displays and monitors move forward with momentum

“We focused on protecting our workers and maintaining business continuity, especially minimizing supply chain disruptions,” Impellizeri explained. “LG leveraged its global supply chain and prepared in the early stages of the pandemic with dedicated resources to produce enough medical monitors to prepare for the worst to come. LG understood medical monitors are essential to hospitals on the front lines of the pandemic. So, it was vitally important LG could fulfill orders in a timely manner.”

Some hospitals rearranged workspaces to accommodate care during the pandemic, observes Anne Bondulich, Marketing Manager, Sony Electronics.

“Over the past few months, the need for critical care rapidly emerged as OR’s were quickly turned into ICUs,” Bondulich described.

Other facilities that shut down are poised to reopen, notes Brian Schlueter, Senior Marketing Manager, FSN Medical Technologies.

“At the height of the pandemic, the focus of medical facilities was COVID-19-related, and other procedures were given less priority,” Schlueter indicated. “As infection rates trend downward, and facilities equip to contain the virus, elective surgery volume will likely increase, including the demand for new capital equipment and upgrades.”

Going virtual and remote

Workforces, technology, and work settings modified to support the safest possible care and service.

“Going forward, less contact between staff and patients is a strict requirement to help stop the spread of disease,” Bondulich said. “Facilities are focusing on solutions that can quickly help them adapt now and in future crisis situations. One such solution is the Sony NUCLeUS video-over-IP system combined with Sony’s PTZ cameras and 4K displays, which allow nurses’ workstations to easily and remotely add live view access into any room, whether a surgical suite, ICU or emergency department, to reduce exposure and minimize personnel required in a confined space.”

“We increased production of our products, but COVID restrictions reduced our workforce by 25% initially,” she stated. “We were able to offset these limitations with increased overtime for the remaining team. In many facilities, our local clinical specialists were able to continue assisting with installation and training on our products. In other facilities, we offered virtual trainings, which were a flexible and efficient option for our customers.”

Hospital-wide and specialty care

Video imaging is used across various healthcare settings and specialties. Monitors of all sizes and capabilities are needed.

“FSN’s family of monitors is designed for use with specialized medical image-generating devices used in those areas. Hybrid ORs and emergency procedure rooms typically use a larger monitor to display multiple images at once for team viewing.”

He added, “FSN’s 55” and 58” monitors have multiple video signal inputs compatible with a variety of image-capture devices as well as the images produced by monitoring equipment found, for example, in a cath lab. FSN also offers wireless A/V transceivers, recording and archiving equipment, video over IP, multi-viewers for video wall-type needs, signal routing and signal conversion devices, optical fiber cables and other equipment to support infrastructure in the OR.”

Patients are monitored in a growing number of environments, expresses Tim O’Malley, President & Chief Growth Officer, EarlySense.

“Historically, higher acuity areas including ICUs, operating rooms and recovery areas have used patient monitoring technology,” he indicated. “However, today the use of patient monitoring has expanded to non-acute areas in the hospital, with med-surg and general floors using it as a continuous way to detect changes in patients prone to health complications. Now, beds in general care areas have advanced, robust sensors embedded within them, allowing for most hospital patients to be monitored. Outside of the hospital, there is a rapid adoption of sensor-based monitoring technology in post-acute facilities, and a rapid expansion into the home. With EarlySense’s contact-free continuous monitoring technology, a sensor placed under a patient’s mattress can accurately transmit real-time data to medical staff outside the patient’s room, which is extremely useful in light of the recent coronavirus social-distancing restrictions.” 

Digital, mobile workstations are playing a vital role in ambulatory care during the crisis, notes Brian Hazelwood, Marketing Manager, Medical Division, Midmark.

“Today’s equipment must be designed to provide the flexibility needed to support technology within the exam room, from room to room, when a space-saving solution is needed—or when it’s time to expand the point of care beyond the exam space, such as the shift to telehealth resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hazelwood stressed. “Mobile and stationary workstations are designed with technology needs in mind, whether a desktop, laptop or tablet-based technology component is used. Fully adjustable monitor arms enable monitors to easily be positioned for sitting and standing postures, eliminating neck and eye strain. Dual monitor mounts also are available to support software needs.”¹

These types of workstations also are essential in surgical settings and procedures. Olympus, for example, announced in a press release, “the introduction of two new products designed to enhance patient care in endoscopy and surgical imaging by improving procedural workflow: the OEP-6 high-definition printer and the WM-NP3 workstation.”