Whether it's a car crash or an errant Wiimote to the cranium, sometimes we end up in the hospital.  It can be scary, it can be boring, and your doctor isn’t always there to answer your questions.

Enter the Cerner Care Console, basically a bedside Xbox 360 that allows patients to communicate with their physicians, check their treatment schedule, and yes, even watch movies and play games to pass the time.

Demo'd at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the project is a collaboration between Cerner, Spectrum Health, and Microsoft, and is aimed at improving the hospital experience by letting patients take a more active role in their care.

Said Chris Sullivan, director of Microsoft’s Health and Life Sciences Group, via Cerner's press release:

We are thrilled to work with Cerner and Spectrum Health to provide this innovative healthcare solution to patients... the patient’s experience is enhanced by making it easy and convenient to actively participate in care, communicate with healthcare providers through e-mail, and stay entertained by watching movies, listening to music or playing video games.

Other features of the Care Console include:

•  My Education – Provides patients with access to health education prescribed by their care team. Access to reliable health information encourages patients to become informed about their condition and medical decisions.
•  My Care Team – Provides patients a pictorial introduction to the individuals responsible for their care and explains their roles.
•  My Hospital – Presents patients with information about their hospital, including lists of services and maps.
•  My Opinion – Invites patients to provide real-time feedback regarding their hospital stay. This enables point-of-service adjustments to care to address patient concerns and supports rapid cycle improvement.

A pilot program for the Care Console is currently underway at Spectrum Health’s Butterworth Hospital in Michigan.

Via: MedGadget

-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen wonders how patients will sleep with that 360 fan blowing