The evolution of care spaces: How smart hospital rooms can support healthcare workers

The American healthcare system’s well-documented shortage of nurses, projected to reach 200,000 by 2030, is no longer a storm looming on the horizon. With an aging population, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and pandemic-related burnout, the nursing shortage must now be treated as a present-day crisis threatening care delivery. At ViVE 2025, healthcare leaders addressed how smart hospital technology could help us avert this unfolding disaster.

“Traditional hospital rooms are limited. They have limited technology, manual processes, and lots of high dependency on in-person care,” explained Valdrin Lluka, Chief Growth Officer at hellocare, during his presentation on smart hospital rooms.

What exactly makes a hospital room “smart”? It’s not about removing the human element of care but augmenting it. These modernized spaces combine AI assistance, digital interfaces, and automated monitoring to create what the presenters call “hybrid care” — an approach that blends technology with human expertise.

A slow and steady transition to smart hospital

Smart hospital rooms aren’t built overnight. Reid Health, a small but forward-thinking system in Richmond, Indiana, began their transformation seven years ago with a strategic approach.

“It was important that we were thoughtful about each purchase that we made,” said Misti Foust-Cofield, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of Reid Health, as part of the ViVE 2025 smart hospital session. “Any purchase moving forward had to integrate.”

This systematic approach led to a comprehensive ecosystem featuring:

• AI-assisted virtual nursing: Remote clinicians handle admissions, discharges, education, and assessments
• Digital whiteboards: Interactive displays integrated with electronic medical records
• Patient engagement platforms: Tablets and interfaces that keep patients informed and connected
• AI-powered monitoring: Systems that track everything from falls to hand hygiene
• Voice automation: Controls for room functions like lighting and window shades

Measurable results that win over patients and staff

Healthcare technology often prompts skepticism: Will machines replace caregivers? Will patients accept these changes? The Reid Health experience suggests these concerns may be overblown.

Patients initially approach the technology with curiosity rather than concern. “When they see how much more in the loop that they can be with their care, they quickly get behind the technology and see the benefits,” Foust-Cofield noted. For nurses, acceptance hinges on practicality. Smart technology must lighten their load, not add to it.

“What nurses want and need is a tool that’s going to remove the burden,” Foust-Cofield explained. “It has to be something that they choose how we get there and has to truly remove the burden at the bedside and not add additional steps or documentation.”

The potential benefits extend beyond convenience. Healthcare systems implementing these technologies report substantial improvements:

• Reduction in falls up to 100% over six-month measurement periods
• Length of stay shortened by 33%
• Reduction in medication discrepancies by 20%

These statistics translate to safer care, reduced costs, and more efficient use of limited staff — a critical advantage in a healthcare landscape plagued by worker shortages.

Recruitment and retention

Smart hospital rooms may also help address the nursing shortage directly. Reid Health uses their technological advantage as a recruitment and retention tool. They’ve even partnered with a local nursing program to create training rooms that mirror their tech-equipped hospital spaces.

“As these nurses are training, they’re training in an environment that makes for a seamless transition to our work environment,” Foust-Cofield said. “When they go and visit other sites for capstoning … all of their work as a student, it’s quick to identify the great advancements that we have, which has been wildly successful in recruiting those team members to us.”

Implementation and practical considerations

Reid Health’s experience offers a blueprint for other systems. Rather than trying to implement everything at once, they built a solid foundation first, ensuring each room had consistent technology before adding more advanced features.

Their progression moved from digital whiteboards and basic integration to more sophisticated applications like virtual sitting (launched March 2025) and virtual nursing (planned for late summer 2025). Future plans include ambient listening for documentation and AI-powered hand hygiene monitoring. This measured approach recognizes that technology adoption requires careful change management, especially in high-pressure healthcare environments.

Implementing smart room technology involves nuts-and-bolts decisions about infrastructure. The presenters recommended three data drops per room for optimal functionality: one for the main hub, one for the whiteboard, and one for the room sign outside.

Bandwidth management also requires attention. While the cameras support 4K resolution, the system typically operates at 720p to balance quality with network demands, dynamically adjusting resolution based on viewing needs.

Finding the ‘smart’ balance

Perhaps the “can’t miss” takeaway from the session was the emphasis on balance. These technologies aren’t designed to replace nurses, they are meant to free them from administrative burdens and allow them to focus on what matters most: direct patient care.

As hospitals nationwide grapple with staffing challenges and quality metrics, smart hospital rooms offer a promising path forward, giving human caregivers the support they need to work at their best. In an industry where both high-tech solutions and high-touch care are essential, finding this balance may be the key to healthcare’s future. The smart hospital room isn’t about replacing the human element, it’s about enhancing it.