Even If You’re Ill, You Can Still Stay Connected

The New York Times:

If shopping is indeed a form of therapy, why does nobody seem to get better? Because of one innovation, one group of shoppers may start.

Hospitals have begun installing Internet systems, complete with dedicated shopping channels, to help patients pick up goods they will need for their recuperation. The idea is that patients and visitors who are busy shopping and browsing the Web will be happier, less prone to bother nurses, and more likely to arm themselves with health care information that can help smooth the patient’s recovery.

Northwestern Memorial last year spent an undisclosed amount to install 42-inch flat-screen televisions and Internet connections near each of the 200 beds in its new women’s hospital building. The screens are big enough, and close enough, for patients to read the text on Web pages, which patients click through with a remote-control keyboard and mouse. They may also zoom in on certain parts of a page.

When users switch on the screen, they see a welcome page with four links – for TV, the Web, medical education and hospital information. In the last category, patients can adjust the temperature in their rooms and order meals.

Photo by Gregg Matthews.

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