Hospital Stress Reduction Strategies Improve Patient Satisfaction
and Health Outcomes

RALEIGH, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BHLexington?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#BHLexingtonlt;/agt;–Healthcare professionals recognize April as stress awareness month
spotlighting the causes and cures for stress. TeleHealth
Services is helping to raise awareness and provide solutions with a
new white paper, Reducing
Hospitalization-Related Stress: Improving Patient Satisfaction and
Outcomes. The white paper documents some of the latest and most
influential clinical studies regarding stress and relaxation strategies
for hospitalized patients.

Hospital visits are the best of times and worst of times to engage and
educate patients. Stress from a diagnosis and treatment fills patients
with anxiety and uncertainty. Disconnected from home and daily routines,
patients are confronted with trusting strangers for treatment.

“Relaxation videos provide our patients options to address the stress or
anxiety they may experience while in the hospital,” said Baptist
Health Lexington Integrative C.A.R.E. Services Coordinator Cathrine
Weaver, MSN, HN-BC, RN. “This empowers patients to participate in their
own care needs because they, or their family, can access the videos
independently.”

Stress can cause impaired immune systems and elevated blood pressure
hampering treatment and recovery. Improving the patient experience with
strategies to relieve stress can positively impact outcomes and
financial reimbursements linked to HCAHPS survey scores, patient
satisfaction and lower readmissions.

TeleHealth Services is the nation’s leading provider of
comprehensive patient experience solutions that integrate patient
televisions, AV systems and entertainment programming for hospitals and
clinics throughout the United States. TeleHealth Services also offers
advanced patient engagement and education solutions using patient room
televisions and tablets for patients, family members and staff.

“A cornerstone of hospital strategies to lower stress and improve the
patient experience is the television. With decades of experience in
providing hospital entertainment and education networks to hospitals, we
know that the TV serves as the patient’s main source of entertainment
and information throughout the hospital stay,” said Amy Mora, MBA, MHA,
RHEd, client outcomes manager for TeleHealth Services. “Patients
appreciate the distraction with a source of entertainment that helps
maintain some of their normal routine and provides a sense of connection
to home.”

Today, hospitals find that adding relaxation content is a useful
strategy. TeleHealth has partnered with a number of content providers to
add relaxation options to its interactive video-on-demand Patient
Infotainment Platform.

Nature scenery, calming music and sleep programming can help hospitals
create better patient experiences while providing additional therapeutic
value. For example, significant improvements have been observed in the
use of relaxation content for pain management. The Joint Commission has
also introduced the requirement that hospitals offer at least one
non-pharmacologic option for pain relief that could be addressed through
relaxation videos.

“Hospitals don’t exactly have the reputation of being places to relax.
However, relaxation is a key element in healing. Having options to help
patients relax, whether during the day before a procedure or at night to
promote a good night’s sleep, is important to our hospital,” said Andy
Sturm, BSN, RN, CDE, MLDE, a patient educator at The
Medical Center at Bowling Green in Kentucky. “Getting a good night’s
sleep is healing to the mind and body, so we were pleased to hear from
patients and family members who are thankful for the relaxing
environment.”

A webinar on strategies to reduce hospitalization-related stress will be
hosted by TeleHealth Services on May 8 at 2:00pm ET. For details visit: www.telehealth.com/resources/webinars.

About TeleHealth Services

TeleHealth Services is driven to enhance the patient experience and
positively impact health outcomes using innovative patient engagement
and audiovisual technologies. With 60 years of patient-centered
expertise and 2,500+ healthcare clients, the company designs and
delivers turnkey solutions that increase patient satisfaction, improve
quality of care, and maximize clinical and operational efficiencies.

TeleHealth is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation (TLC). TLC
creates unparalleled customer experiences in the use of collaborative
communication solutions serving the healthcare market through TeleHealth
Services; the corporate market through Avidex Industries; and the public
and education markets through Digital Networks Group.

TLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International Inc. For more
information about TeleHealth Services, please visit www.telehealth.com.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Barbara Capone
[email protected]
(919)
719-7046 X7132