Back in my day our TVs were big square boxes. The one my family owned had a wood look vinyl covering and I think a “remote” control that had a cable. I didn’t even know how to program the VCR.

I’m not that old yet my (grey) beard suggests otherwise – but I still see oldschool TVs in hospitals. You know why? Its because Patient Entertainment Systems cost a FORTUNE when they are first implemented. And if you still do it the same way, it will cost a fortune again. They are hard to repair or replace, and the content is old and static.

This post is an extension to my post from yesterday around using GroundControl with Workspace ONE. Using iPads for a Patient Entertainment System (hereby referred to as PES) was actually the first use case that introduced me to GroundControl. There is a great case study out of the US for Pheonix Children’s Hospital where they are doing exactly this.

I won’t get into as much detail as my last post around how GroundControl works, but read on and you’ll find out exactly why Hospitals are moving toward iPads with Workspace ONE and GroundControl.

Like I mentioned before, the legacy way of delivering PES is a screen attached to the bed or ceiling which delivers static media content and maybe some Free to Air or Pay TV. But what we consistently hear is that if it breaks its really hard and expensive to repair and the content is old and boring.

What Hospitals are looking at now is using commodity hardware that can be easily replaced if lost or broken, using these devices for menu ordering and patient communications, and even allowing patients (or their parents) to use their own accounts on these devices for things like Netflix, Youtube, Facebook etc.

Once we start moving into this territory we need to make sure we’re delivering age appropriate content, securing patient information and ensuring data security. This now becomes a major sweet spot for GroundControl and Workspace ONE.

Below you’ll find a demonstration of an iOS device that is allocated out to no specific “user” but in the backend system could be assigned to my patient ID for record keeping/security purposes. In the demo video you’ll see:

  • The device is preconfigured with all necessary restrictions and configurations to ensure security
    • Age appropriate filters are placed on the device to stop inappropriate apps or content
    • Internet traffic could be filtered
  • Some generic applications are deployed using Apple Volume Purchase Program so its ready to use if the patient doesn’t have an AppleID or other streaming services accounts
  • The App Store is still available so the patient can download their own apps if they have an account
  • Patients can log in to Netflix etc. using their own accounts.
  • Once the patient is discharged, the device can be docked again to have to reset back to factory defaults and all patient data is removed.

 What we’ve also seen as an extension to the above (basic) workflow is:

  • Integrating with the Medical Records system to provision an age appropriate apps, a different language on the device, or automatically wipe on discharge.

Anyway, to see what PES looks like with GroundControl and Workpace ONE on iOS see below!