JEDDAH, 18 March 2008 — Patients will in the future have access to computers at their hospital beds to search the Internet for information about their medical conditions and discuss what doctors and nurses should be doing, said Alan Pearson, executive director of the Australian-based Joanna Briggs Institute.

Pearson, who was speaking at the Third International Nursing Conference yesterday, said the development would allow patients to discuss with health workers issues regarding treatment, as is the situation in Australia.

The National Guard Hospital in Riyadh — which houses a Joanna Briggs Institute office — is also to introduce a new system of having a computer on wheels that doctors would be able to move from one patient’s room to another to access updated medical information.

“If I had a case for which I didn’t have much time and needed updated information about it, then I would visit the institute’s website and search for the latest international evidence on the illness and know the best way to treat it,” said Pearson, adding that details are continuously updated by around 40 scientists.

Pearson was speaking at a conference titled “Saving Lives, the Gold Standard”, which is to conclude here today and includes lectures and workshops by local and international speakers.

Janet Jones, vice president of clinical services at Medline Industries in the US, talked about biofilm, a thin film of bacteria on wound surfaces that makes healing very difficult. “They are different from traditional bacteria and they don’t respond to internal medication or external solutions,” she said.

Jones also discussed bioburden, which is the amount of bacteria that stays on the surface of a wound and impedes healing. Cleaning of a wound and removing dead tissues is the only way to rid this type of bacteria. “There is a lot of fear when cleaning wounds, which could hurt tissue and be painful to patients,” she said.

Khalid Al-Hroub, head nurse of cardiac surgery at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, spoke about pressure ulcers that patients could experience due to long stays at hospital.

He compared old treatment and procedures with new ones, and the risk factors that could worsen an ulcer. “Long ago, people used to use honey. Now they use air mattresses. Diabetic patients are more prone to developing pressure ulcers as also patients who are completely bedridden,” he said.

“Ulcers increase the stay of patients at hospital, which is costly for patients and organizations,” he added.