Hospital wellness channel eases patient stress and anxiety

A patient wellbeing channel has been launched to help reduce stress and anxiety while in hospital.

Trialled in Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, the Wellness Channel — from Laundry Lane Productions in partnership with Drawn from Experience — is now being rolled out across all major hospitals in the Northern Sydney Local Health District.

For many patients, entering a hospital can be a daunting and stress-inducing experience. Illness, discomfort, uncertainty, loss of independence, alienation and lack of sleep are all realities of the patient experience, and unfortunately, health providers such as nurses are already lacking in time, leaving little time to address patient mental wellbeing.

The Wellness Channel can provide tailored wellbeing solutions that can be streamed to existing hospital TV channels or via personal devices such as phones, tablets or laptops. Solutions include staff advice; health and wellbeing tips and strategies; breathing exercises; mindfulness techniques; and beautiful and serene nature footage.

According to Associate Professor Caryl Barnes, Senior Staff Specialist and Consultation Psychiatrist at Royal North Shore Hospital, “The Wellness Channel can really help you manage [the] stress of being in hospital by showing you how to relax by calming your mind and body.”

Laundry Lane Productions Director Will Cordukes said, “Content always needs to be relatable and that’s why this is not a one-size-fits-all product. Each organisation will have the opportunity to develop branded content that is relevant to their own patient or staff cohort. We can also develop culturally appropriate content for CALD [culturally and linguistically diverse] and Indigenous communities.

“It is vital that we continue to focus on ways of improving the mental health and wellbeing of patients, caregivers and staff. We feel that our mixed-media approach provides people with really accessible tools to bring greater calm to their time in hospital.”