Momentum for smart rooms in hospitals is growing. Defined as rooms that link digital whiteboards, door signs, and computer vision cameras to electronic medical records and care plans — smart rooms are designed to enable more human connection between patients and clinicians.

AdventHealth of Altamonte, Florida, for one, announced plans earlier this year to equip 13,000 acute care rooms in 57 hospitals with smart technology, the most extensive hospital smart room rollout yet, by the end of 2026, the company.

“The digital whiteboard gives me lots of information,” said an AdventHealth patient named Curtis. “I can keep up with my medication and when it’s scheduled. I can also keep up with the care team when they change shifts.”

Dr. Michael Cacciatore, AdventHealth’s system chief medical officer, said that smart rooms give patients greater clarity about their care, and knowing their team is always within reach gives them peace of mind. “These tools give patients faster access to their care team and can make every interaction feel more personal,” Cacciatore said.

The room is equipped with a secure video system that enables virtual consults with doctors, nurses, translation services, and other members of the patient’s care team. The patient’s loved ones can also remotely join clinical visits so they can hear about important care updates.

AdventHealth is not the only health system pursuing a smart room initiative. In recent years, hospital smart rooms have become increasingly common as providers turn to technology to mitigate workforce shortages and continue to deliver personalized, high-quality care.

A growing number of health systems around the country are investing in smart technology for hospital rooms to improve patient and clinician experiences. According to a recent Modern Healthcare article, hospital rooms equipped with smart technology have become “a new standard of care” for providers that can afford the investment.

Here are a few examples of AHA members turning hospital rooms into high-tech environments to facilitate efficient care delivery.

• Houston Methodist is phasing out traditional TV remotes, phones and nurse call buttons in favor of features like digital white boards, bedside tablets and voice-activated room controls for food ordering, window shades, nurse call, lighting and temperature. Additionally, the health system’s smart rooms are virtual-medicine-enabled and have intelligent settings that welcome patients by name and in their preferred language, and that customize menus to align with dietary restrictions.
• Mayo Clinic: As part of its “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” initiative to transform physical healthcare infrastructure, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is implementing systems including wireless vital monitoring and ambient clinical intelligence to enhance clinical spaces. The health system is creating care delivery environments that support human connection and healing, so that “a patient’s room sees, hears, anticipates, and reacts to their needs alongside their care team to re-imagine the experience of healthcare,” Mayo Clinic President and CEO Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., wrote on the health system’s website.
• Emory Healthcare, the Atlanta, Georgia-based health system, has implemented telehealth technology and AI to support virtual nursing. Patient rooms are equipped with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology to monitor movements that could indicate imminent falls and alerts the care team. Meanwhile, an automated voice instructs the patient to stay in bed until clinicians arrive to assist them.

Some of the benefits providers have noted after advanced technology has been installed in patient rooms includes:

• Increased face-to-face time with patients
• Lower rates of clinician burnout
• Increased efficiency
• Better informed and engaged patients
• Better outcomes

With new technologies continuously emerging, hospitals are gaining more opportunities to create clinical environments that increase efficiency and comfort.