Background: With 81% of Americans having access to smartphones (1) and 58% using the internet for health related questions (2), there is a need for online resources to prepare patients and families for common experiences in the inpatient setting. The creation of Web based sites for patients and caregivers, such as TheHospitalizedPatient.com, attempts to fill this gap and empower patients, friends and families to understand common aspects of inpatient care and ultimately prepare for discharge.
Purpose: TheHospitalizedPatient.com was created to empower patients, friends and families with information and expectations during their hospital stay. The site attempts to address common inpatient scenarios and guide patients to get the most out of their hospital stay prior to discharge. To evaluate the feasibility for use of a website in the inpatient setting, 10 English speaking patients were interviewed regarding their use of smartphones, tablets or computers during their hospital stay.
Description: TheHospitalizedPatient.com is a website broken down into 5 key areas: 1) “Top 5” gives 5 pieces of advice for patients and care givers. 2) “Who’s Who,” explains the role of different care providers. 3) “Why Do We Do ‘that?’” goes through common hospital scenarios such as DVT prophylaxis and daily labs. 4) “Tips for Family” gives information on how friends and families can help out their loved ones who are hospitalized. 5) “Preparing for Discharge” explains common discharge scenarios and has links to additional resources. As options after discharge can be overwhelming, this page includes links to resources such as alcohol and drug treatment centers and groups, local nursing facilities and other housing options.To evaluate the feasibility of use, 10 English speaking patients were asked about their ability to use a smartphone, tablet or computer while hospitalized, if their friends or family used a smartphone, tablet or computer during the hospitalization, and if they used their devices for medical information while hospitalized. Of the 10 respondents, 7 used a smart phone while in house, none used a computer. Five reported their family used a smartphone during the hospital stay. All 10 reported that they or their friend or family member used the internet to look up medical information during their hospital stay. Anecdotally, most searched for information regarding their diagnosis, although this was not part of the questionnaire.
Conclusions: Trends in America are clearly moving towards an internet based system of information acquisition and exchange. Use of a website is ideal to address common questions and concerns for patients, friends and families. Web based sites, can be easily modified to fit an individual intuition, and duplicated with modifications for another. This is the 2020 version of caring for TheHospitalizedPatient (.com!).
