Butler to set up information kiosks

PROVIDENCE – Butler Hospital has received a $50,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation that will allow it to set up touch-screen computer kiosks where patients and their families can access psychiatric-health information, including materials on psychiatric illnesses, addictions, treatments and community resources.
The patient information kiosks will be part of a patient’s treatment plan, the hospital said, and they will support skills training and encourage participation in treatment.
The first three kiosks are to be set up early next year, and with additional philanthropic funding, the hospital intends to set up more kiosks in all of its inpatient units, partial hospital programs and patient assessment services areas.
The kiosks will provide easy access to Web sites such as MedLine and WebMD as well as the National Institute for Mental Health, among others. Patients will also be able to access information about the hospital such as support group meeting schedules, and other services available to them. A team of mental health professionals will oversee the use of the kiosks.
For patients with little or no experience using the Internet, the kiosks will provide an opportunity to learn how to use the Internet to find resources, the hospital said. The kiosks will also serve as a “stimulating tool” to spark a discussion on issues between patients and the members of their treatment teams.
Founded in 1844, Butler Hospital is Rhode Island’s only private, nonprofit psychiatric and substance abuse hospital for adults, adolescents, children and seniors. A member of the Care New England health system, it is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and is the flagship for its department of psychiatry. For more information, visit www.butler.org.