Due to lack of employment opportunities in Australia, I've started nursing school. In my first rotation in a hospital ward, these are the two inventions I'd like to see further developed and integrated into practice:
1. Bed scales. Unfortunately, the ones at this link only measure to the nearest pound. Nurses spend time measuring fluid balance of patients - critical to keep track of the fluids going in and coming out. A more precise measuring system could take some of the work out of tracking patient fluid balance. I found some other more sophisticated beds online - but they're designed for ICU patients with other very expensive features.
2. Video monitoring. This development is awesome and implementation simple. The patient gets a screen with a camera like most computers now have standard. Video processing can monitor the patient's pulse and breath rate. The patient can also use the camera to video-chat with relatives or the front nursing desk. Rather than occasional monitoring of vital signs, the camera system continuously monitors vitals and flags irregularities for investigation. Of course, for patients whose condition is not so critical, they can turn off video monitoring for privacy. They'll forget to turn it back on, so there will be a timer function, perhaps with an alert. If the patient doesn't respond, the camera goes back on. (see video)
