How to use your bedside display
Types of devices
Depending on which unit you're admitted to, your room will be equipped with one of two types of devices:
- smart TV — a ceiling-mounted TV which can be used to watch free-to-air TV channels, listen to digital radio channels or stream a movie from the catalogue
- bedside tablet — a touchscreen tablet known as The Engagement Device (TED), mounted onto an articulating arm that has the same functions as the smart TV. TED also provides important information about our hospitals, meal ordering (Randwick only) and fun games.
Most patients will have the bedside tablet within their rooms, while patients admitted to units with more medical machines at the bedside, such as Intensive Care, only have the smart TVs installed.
What the bedside tablet can do
TED has lots of options to keep you informed and entertained. Once you've been assigned a bed and the staff have processed your details, you will have access to:
- Watch and play — tune in to your favourite free-to-air TV channels, including ABC Kids and Nickelodeon, or join in on the fun with Starlight TV. Digital radio stations are also available, including ABC Kids listen and Kinderling Kids Radio.
- Go online — Browse the internet, catch up on your school work or keep up-to-date with the news.
- Health information — Dive in to our collection of factsheets and handbooks to learn more about diseases, conditions, tests and procedures.
- Support services — quick access to contact information for our hospital's support services, including interpreters, parent and carer resource centres and Aboriginal Health Workers.
The Quick links panel on the tablet also offers easy access to the most common or important functions of the device, including:
- Meal ordering (Randwick only) — get connected directly to the CBORD app to order your child's meals.
- Raise it — learn how to urgently escalate the care of your child if they're getting worse.
- Hospital handbook — quickly open the Visiting and staying section of our website to learn more about our hospitals during your stay.
Using the bedside tablet
Use the below interactive guide to learn all about TED and what each of the buttons do. Press the plus symbol (+) to find out about each function.
Connecting your headphones
If your headphones are wired, you can connect their cable to the 3.5mm headphone jack on the right-hand side of TED.
If your headphones are wireless and Bluetooth-enabled you can connect them to TED by following the below instructions.
- Ensure your TED's display is turned on. If not, press the power button (
) at the bottom of the device to turn it on. - Open the audio settings panel by pressing the volume button (
) - Within the audio setting panel, select the settings icon (
) next to the Bluetooth icon (
). This will open the Bluetooth settings panel. - Ensure your headphones are powered on and switched to pairing mode.
- Within the Bluetooth settings panel, select 'Connect' and select your device from the list.
Content safety
TED provides patients to a range of material, both educational and entertaining. These materials are delivered through different means, including over the internet, broadcast and streaming. We have measures in place to help ensure that your child's experience using TED is safe and appropriate for their age.
Movies and games
All movies and games available on TED are classified General (G) and Parental Guidance (PG) by the Australian Government's Classification Board. This ensures that the content on these devices are suitable for children and their families. This includes content that is broadcast on Starlight TV.
General (G)
The content is very mild in impact.
Films and computer games classified G (General) are suitable for everyone. They can have content that may scare very young children.
Parental Guidance (PG)
The content is mild in impact
Films and computer games classified PG (Parental Guidance) can contain content that a child may find confusing or upsetting and require the guidance of a parent or guardian. It is not recommended for viewing by children under the age of 15 without guidance of a parent or guardian.
If you would like to learn more, the Australian Government provides information about the advisory ratings for films and computer games and details on how ratings are decided.
TV channels and radio stations
All television channels and radio stations on TED are free-to-air broadcasts, which means their content is subject to the Commercial Television and Commercial Radio codes of practice. These codes ensure that all broadcast material provides clear labelling and warnings to viewers when content is not suitable for children.
By law, material that may be unsuitable for children (classified M or MA15+) is allowed to be broadcast:
- any day: 7:30 pm to 6:00 am
- school days: 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor their child's use of the Watch and play function of TED during the above hours.
If you're unsure which channels your child should watch, both ABC Kids and Starlight TV broadcast programmes that are suitable for children throughout the entire day.
Web browsing
The World Wide Web can be accessed through the 'Go online' tile from TED's main screen. Web access is only available if a patient has been assigned to that bed within our system.
To help ensure your child's safety while using TED, many websites, including social media platforms, are blocked. Our systems are built to automatically notify our staff if any attempts are made by users to get around the block.
YouTube is still accessible as it can be an important tool for communicating complex healthcare information and for assisting patients in their schooling. Videos that have been flagged as containing harmful content are automatically blocked on YouTube for users who aren't signed in. By law, Australians under 16 are no longer able to sign in to YouTube.
Although our systems have in-built protections to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful content, parents and carers are strongly encouraged to monitor their child's online activity when browsing the web.
If you would like internet access to be disabled for your child's device, please let one of our friendly staff know.
See also
