The network has its own Web site offering patients and their families a wealth of information, including physician-suggested links for disease information. Patients who can't leave their rooms will have access to information from Doernbecher's Family Resource Center. An e-mailed request to the center will result in information delivered directly to their room. We wanted to use our resources where they are most needed. And who can forget the games.
Children love to play computer games in order to learn and pass the time while in the hospital.
Fortunately, each room offers them access to the Microsoft Network gaming zone. Many patients spend months away from school, but while being treated, they can still learn, using videoconferencing to communicate with their class and through Internet access to the Portland Public School District's Web site where they can access the schedule of events, educational software and educational resources. The ultimate goal is to expand this type of computer system to other patients who are in the hospital for long periods of time, such as heart transplant patients.