In one week’s time, Pokémon GO captivated children, teens, and adults of all ages, amassing more than 15 million downloads. But while users are aiming to "catch 'em all", hospitals are beginning to see new visitors in unlikely places.
“I work for the tech department at a hospital. For the love of God, don't go in a restricted area to catch a Pidgey” – Reddit user, July 15, 2016
Haven’t Heard of Pokémon GO?
Pokémon GO is a new smartphone app that use GPS and augmented reality for people to track down Pokémon characters. When one appears, users get a view of the creatures through images from their phone’s camera. The game incentivizes interaction with the app at specific physical locations, such as parks, homes or grocery stores, and players can interact with each other or characters.
The Pokémon GO app includes some location-specific activities that may lead players to hospitals for game-play.
Patient Care at Premium
Within days of the Pokémon GO launch, hospitals began putting out pleas via social media and traditional media relations to avoid visiting their campuses in the hopes of catching ‘em all.
“If they are coming into our facility to play this game, it is worrisome because they are not being respectful of the mission of our hospital and what we are here to do for our patients and the community,” Cookeville Regional Medical Center COO Scott Williams told the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. “And most importantly, we are here to protect patient safety and privacy. That is why we are asking players to not enter our facility to play Pokémon GO.”
Several VA medical centers, including Battle Creek and Milwaukee VA Medical Centers, are requesting common sense among Pokémon trainers. Milwaukee VA Medical Center posted on Facebook: “Dear Pokémon hunters: The Milwaukee VA wishes all
trainers well on your quest to catch 'em all, but ask you respect patient privacy and not enter the medical center on your travels, and not search for them at all on the hallowed grounds of our cemetery.”
The Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam was one of the first medical facilities to publicly publish pleas.
"There is indeed a sick Pokémon at AMC, but we'll look after him well. Please don't visit him," the Dutch medical center stated in a Tweet that included a picture of Pokémon character Pikachu surrounded by tissues.
Safety and Security Issues
Wrote one Reddit user on July 15: “I work at a major ortho hospital with ER and there's a PokéStop at the ER entrance. People park at the entrance, blocking everything in order to farm the PokéStop. Security has to waste valuable time telling people to move their cars from the Emergency Room so that sick people can actually get help. We also have people drive through campus playing it on their phone while driving/not looking where they're walking with two near misses already and one car accident because there are four PokéStops and one gym total on the hospital grounds. It's a hazard.”
Additional foot and vehicle traffic, parking concerns, and visitors at unusual times of day are just some of the safety concerns hospitals face with this phenomenon. Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, which is undergoing a hospital replacement project, has more concerns than just additional traffic. Limited parking, construction on the campus, and PokéStops in the building and on the helipad, lead to safety concerns for patients and visitors alike.
Carolinas HealthCare System began receiving reports of people driving in the parking lots of some medical office buildings, acting unusually, the weekend following the app’s launch, notes Bryan Warren, director of corporate security.
Many of the actions of the players may emulate suspicious behaviors that officers are looking out for, Warren said. “Walking around taking pictures, looking at ways to enter facilities, a lot of these are indicators, particularly when there aren’t legitimate reasons to be on the property,” he said.
Employee Concerns
Productivity and perceptions of patient care is always an issue. While you likely have an IT or cell phone acceptable use policy, consider using the popularity of Pokémon to review those policies and re-emphasize smart use of these personal technologies. For employees who choose to use the app in a way that is conducive with your policy, such during breaks, it might still be a good time to remind employees to be aware of their surroundings, especially in public areas, when in uniform or while wearing their badge. While employees might be casually using their phones during their workday, a visitor may perceive that as being inattentive to patient care.
Hospitals Can Stop PokéStops
Carolinas HealthCare System, like several hospitals, has requested that a known “PokéStop in a children’s hospital waiting area has been removed from the app. However, well-meaning users can add “lures” with the intent of sick children who are hospitalized to be able to participate.
To request removal of a PokéStop from the app, hospitals can contact Niantic, the developer, and complete a form. Select “submit a request,” in the upper right corner and then “report an issue with a Gym or PokéStop” in the pull-down menu.
Benefitting Patient Care
While some healthcare facilities have opted to request removal of PokéStops, others have seen an opportunity for patient care. Several hospitals, including Harborview Medical Center’s burn center in Washington, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan, have used Pokémon GO to assist their patients in their recovery.
One family shared their experiences in the Arizona hospital with azcentral.com:
“It’s a fun way to encourage patients to be mobile,” J.J Bouchard, digital media manager, and certified child life specialist at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, told WMAZ TV. “This app is getting patients out of beds and moving around.”
By Roberta Schneider | July 20, 2016
SHSMD Digital Engagement Task Force Member
New Media Manager
Franciscan St. Francis Health
Indianapolis, IN
Robbie.Schneider@FranciscanAlliance.org