The Centre for Innovation at Houston Methodist, a research and development centre for technology-based transformations has opened its new Technology Hub to showcase their efforts and tools to advance digital health. The centre regularly explores in the field of medical tech and more modern digital health technologies. However, until recently, it lacked a proper display centre or place for demonstrating their efforts and vision for the future dimension of health care. With the Technology Hub of the Centre for Innovation, Houston Methodist fulfilled that.
The technology hub which opened up in early February is located in the premises of Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas Medical Centre. It is a 3,500-square-foot medical technology testing ground and was renovated from an 18-room patient wing of the hospital. The hub displays innovative digital health technologies like virtual reality devices, ambient listening tools, wearables, voice control and many more.
Innovative Hub To Display Health Tech
According to Josh Soi, the administrative director of the Innovation and Ambulatory Clinical Systems at Houston Methodist, the tech hub is like a laboratory space meant for digital health innovations and inventions. The centre is an effort and opportunity to bring in doctors, administrators as well as subject matter experts to discuss and research digital health could be introduced at the Houston Methodist.
The technology hub has displayed the experiences that patients have and also demonstrated the effects technology could bring in at various levels of healthcare- from the waiting room or an OPD ward of a hospital to at-home health and voice control-optimized patient room in the hospital. There is also a virtual reality demo room in the tech hub which showcases the use of VR tools for distraction therapy that the hospital uses. The virtual reality room is also used for a doctor to demonstrate any surgical procedure for their patient.
Houston Methodist stated that a part of the hub is built to change the culture within the organization and to promote newer technologies and grow. Keeping their positive outlook towards their patients and aiming for healthcare to bring in happiness and welfare in the lives of the patients, the Houston Methodist cared for that space. The space also highlights co-working space for the industry experts, companies Amazon or Microsoft, to visit and co-create. Houston Methodist was also the first hospital across Houston to sign up the beta program by Apple Health. The medical facility allows tours of the hub for industry professionals, vendors as well as staff.
Interactive Space for All
The sole purpose of the technology hub is to allow visitors to interact with the innovative technologies Houston Methodist and to make the visitors aware of the journey of innovations of the hospital and its patients. There is a screen on the entry point which is one of the 8K touch-screen monitors placed in the facility and allows the viewer to swipe and see a layout of the tech hub and to hear the tale of one of the patients of Houston Methodist.
