Claiborne County Hospital has made many technology upgrades in the past year, but none was as rewarding as the recent utilization of a video-conferencing partnership with Knoxville Center for the Deaf to better serve hearing-impaired patients. Using video conferencing software loaded onto two mobile computer carts, a sign language interpreter from the Knoxville Center for the Deaf can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With only the push of a few buttons, the hospital staff can call the Center, ask for an interpreter, and in a matter of minutes someone is available to help communicate more effectively with any patient needing this service.
The process had its trial run last week with a patient having some outpatient testing, and all involved agreed that it was a success. Courtney Conley, CCH registration clerk, was impressed with this use of technology: “I was pleased at how well the interpreter communicated with our patient, and how effective the video conferencing was in improving communication with our patient. It was pretty amazing”.
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Anyone needing this service can request it when scheduling an appointment or at the time of registration.
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For more information or to see a demonstration of this technology, contact Brandi Callebs, CCH Clinical Specialist, at 423-526-2364.
