Technology and innovation are at the core of the Pavilion’s design, fulfilling our mission of advancing medical and patient care throughout the region and beyond. The eco-friendly construction, design, and operations plan of the Pavilion fortifies Penn Medicine’s commitment to the environment, with innovations like the re-use of water, 100 percent outside air, and park-like, outdoor green space for patients, families, and staff.
When reimaging how we deliver care, we wanted to ensure that the patient feels empowered and prioritized every step of the way. That’s why the Pavilion’s inpatient rooms offer the latest technology to elevate the patient experience.
Smart room features include:
- Outside door displays – Located outside each patient room, the display shows clinicians and staff all the of the information they need to know before entering the room. This display is not intended to communicate plan of care, but to provide information related to standard precautions like hearing impairment, required interpreter services, and more.
- IRIS – IRIS is a large smart TV and interactive care system located past the foot of each patient bed on the wall. The large monitor not only provides access to television and entertainment, but acts as a digital whiteboard displaying important patient information – including the name and photo of each member of a patient’s care team, clinical information that automatically populates from PennChart documentation, a patient’s goals or plan of care for each day, and any upcoming consults. IRIS also acts as an environmental control tool, providing the ability to adjust lights, window shades, privacy glass, and room temperature.
- MyChart Bedside – A tablet at each patient’s bedside, this tool displays a patient’s care team, notifies patients of upcoming appointments, medication times, visitors and more, offers questionnaires and education materials, and houses all patient consent forms.
In addition to these helpful tools, we’ve taken steps to ensure that the physical layout of the Pavilion makes patient comfort the top priority. Each patient floor is designed with an “on-stage/off-stage” concept. Patient rooms are located around the facility’s perimeter while medication rooms, supply rooms, and staff spaces are located at the core of each floor, which reduces cart traffic, noise, and interruptions to a minimum near the patient rooms.
“With this approach, we’re able to keep hallways and patient care areas as quiet and clutter-free as possible. Limiting the traffic of supply delivery and trash collection, and providing decentralized staff documentation spaces helps decrease noise and distractions near the patient’s rooms,” said Kathryn Gallagher, MS, BSN, a former surgical critical care nurse and current clinical liaison who helped plan the Pavilion’s design and transition. “It’s all about minimizing noise, increasing comfort, and providing a quiet environment to reduce disruptions and promote sleep.”
Improving Emergency Department Care
The Pavilion’s state-of-the-art, two-floor Emergency Department (ED) also prioritizes patient privacy and comfort. After being seen briefly by a provider upon arrival, patients await next steps in a space that includes cubicle-style dividers and comfy reclining chairs. The top 12 inches of the dividers are glass to allow for natural light, and each space has room for one visitor.
Building upon the transformative “vertical care model” implemented at HUP in 2019, the Pavilion’s ED makes the ED experience even more efficient and seamless, guaranteeing that patients are not only treated quickly, but that they receive the highest level of care possible. Designed with the “vertical care model” in mind, the systems in place help to minimize bottlenecking events and increase the speed with which patients receive treatment, helping to further reduce the number of walk-aways, door-to-provider time, and overall time to discharge.