The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 07-26-2020 | Page 12
12 | SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020 | THE RECORD
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
Live Streaming Lets Parents View Infants
In Level II Special Care Nursery at Clara Maass
Given the COVID-19 pandemic,
Clara Maass Medical Center is taking
extra precautions to ensure that
babies — especially those born prematurely
have a safe and healthy start. For
example, many safeguards are now in place
to adjust to a post-pandemic environment
such as daily screening and temperature
assessments of all patients, visitors, physicians
and employees, as well as requiring
masks or face coverings from all. And, for
newborns that are unable to room-in with
the parent due to circumstances such as
COVID-19, they are placed safe and sound
in a separate isolation nursery on the Labor
and Delivery Unit.
But what happens when the new baby
requires an extended stay in the hospital,
and the mother is discharged before her
newborn can be? Or a partner that must
travel for work, or is deployed to military
duty halfway across the world? What about
other family members who are local, but
may be under quarantine and can’t wait to
see the new arrival?
Knowing that expectant parents long for
the moment when they can hold and speak
to their newborn child,
the Special Care Nursery
at Clara Maass Medical
Center has a solution.
With new technology
called the AngelEye camera system, family
members can connect via an app to livestreamed
video of the newborn, 24/7/365,
reports Morris Cohen, MD, director of
Neonatology at the Medical Center. Loved
ones can see a full-frame view of the baby
at his or her station, right on their smartphones
or mobile devices.
“This technology is a very significant
addition,” said Dr. Cohen. “Any time a baby
is sick and admitted to a special care or
a neonatal intensive care unit, it’s a very
unexpected experience for the family, and
one that can last
anywhere from
a few days to a
couple of weeks,
sometimes longer.
There can
be a real feeling
of separation
for parents
when they can’t
be there.” The
ability to view
the baby helps
RWJ BARNABAS HEALTH
Dr. Morris Cohen
is the director of
Neonatology at Clara
Maass Medical Center
in Belleville.
relieve stress,
research shows.
Beyond viewing,
parents can
speak to the
baby by way of
an optional oneway
audio feed. “You can even sing to your
baby if you want, which is something we
encourage,” said Dr. Cohen.
The Angel
Eye system is
available only
in the Special
Care Nursery
at Clara Maass Medical Center and can be
used for communication between parents
and healthcare providers, and as a way to
access educational videos and information.
Instructions for the app are available in
more than 100 languages.
WHY ANGELEYE?
The investment in the AngelEye system
fit with the Medical Center’s commitment
PHOTO COURTESY OF RWJ BARNABAS HEALTH
As a pandemic precaution, prematurely born babies requiring an extended stay in the
nursery at Clara Maass Medical Center can be viewed by their parents via live streaming.
to support patients, their families and loved
ones. “We focus a lot on what is called
family-centered care, where the goal is to
have the parents participate as a member
of the healthcare team, to the extent that
we are actually inviting the parents to join
us on rounds,” Dr. Cohen said.
Live streaming in the Special Care
Nursery helps cement those connections
and involves parents and loved ones in the
early development process at a deeper level.
“It’s exciting to see new parents access
the application to see their baby on camera
Clara Maass Medical Center Recognized
Among the Top 5 Percent for Safety
C lara Maass Medical Center has
received the Healthgrades 2020
Patient Safety Excellence Award.
This distinction places the medical center
among the top 5 percent of all short-term
acute care hospitals reporting patient
safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades,
the leading online resource for information
about physicians and hospitals.
During the study period (2016 to 2017
and 2016 to 2018), Healthgrades Patient
Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals
demonstrated excellent performance
in safeguarding patients in the Medicare
population, as measured by objective
outcomes for 13 patient safety indicators
defined by the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Healthgrades found that patients treated
in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety
Excellence Award were, as compared to
patients at non-recipient hospitals, on
average: 48.3 percent less likely to experience
a collapsed lung due to a procedure
or surgery in or around the chest than
patients treated at non-recipient hospitals;
54.4 percent less likely to experience a hip
fracture following surgery than patients
treated at non-recipient hospitals; 66.8
percent less likely to experience pressure
sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital
than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals;
and 63 percent less likely to experience
catheter-related bloodstream infections
acquired at the hospital than patients
treated at non-recipient hospitals.
for the first time,” said Javier Alvarez,
MBA, CPXP, director of Patient Experience
at Clara Maass Medical Center. “Their
smiles are confirmation that we have
created an extraordinary opportunity for
new parents: the ability to stay connected
and engaged with their new baby — at all
times.”
To learn more about maternity services
and how Clara Maass Medical Center can
support you in having a safe childbirth
experience, visit rwjbh.org/claramaass or
call 888-724-7123.