Hospital communication is vital for the proper functioning of any clinic, nursing home, or facility where some type of patient care is provided. The wireless nurse call system offers a series of advantages for some of the people under our care, although it also poses a greater challenge for software developers in hospital engineering.
Fortunately, the demand for these wireless call systems has led to a reduction in costs, meaning that you can now focus on thinking about what is best for your clients rather than the price of the devices, when addressing such a delicate matter as the patient–nurse call.
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What is a patient–nurse call system?
A patient–nurse system is any communication device that allows a nurse or a patient in a care facility to urgently notify the nurse or the clinically trained person responsible for attending the room or ward.
It is a communication solution that uses technology to cover the specific needs of a healthcare center, a hospital, a nursing home, or even a day care health center.
To ensure that this communication is always efficient, we must take into account the degree of autonomy and mobility of all patients, or of the person responsible for caring for them at all times.
For example, an intubated patient cannot use a voice call system, while someone in an intensive care unit may not be able to activate a push button. To this, we must add the additional limitations that each individual may have due to age, illness, or disability.
When aiming to offer always-effective communication for any patient or person under our care, we see how things become more complex, and it is better to choose multichannel communication, so that if a patient cannot activate one mechanism—such as pressing a button—they have at least two other simple options to report something urgent.
How does a wireless patient–nurse call system work?
The integrated system is made up of a series of modules, so that clinical staff know what need must be addressed before reaching the room. A patient may require a change of position in bed due to respiratory issues, need to go to the bathroom urgently, or require an adjustment in light intensity in order to fall asleep. They may also be experiencing unusual or serious symptoms that require an urgent call to a physician (such as a code blue). As is evident, each of these needs requires a different response, not to mention the maximum acceptable response time.
We can find the following modules within what is encompassed by a wireless patient–nurse call system:
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A fall alert device. For patients who can initially go to the bathroom on their own, or to report any fall by those under care. In these cases, the patient wears a neck pendant or a wristband at all times, which sends the signal to the screen or monitor at the nursing station.
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A bedside call device for general matters or a code blue. Indeed, within these call devices there are blue-key options for patients who are in a more delicate situation.
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A floor mat sensor. In the case of geriatric patients, it can be helpful to be aware of when a patient gets out of bed, especially to avoid unnecessary use of the fall alert device. Knowing that a patient has just stood up, based on their name or medical record number, nursing staff can determine within seconds whether the patient is able to walk alone, with assistance, or not at all, or whether they are at significant risk of falling and must be accompanied at all times.
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Communication through numeric codes. Patients may also be offered the option to indicate, using a number, the reason for their call: pain, urgency to go to the bathroom, emergency, discomfort, etc. They dial or select a numeric value, and a LED display lights up in the monitoring room, associated with the bed number or the patient’s identifier.
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Hallway lights. To illuminate the entrance to the room from which the call is made, especially in the case of long corridors.
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Signal repeaters. For long corridors or areas with angles, ensuring proper Wi-Fi signal coverage for all devices, regardless of whether the patient is close to or far from the monitoring room. This is a simple solution that has made it possible to install the wireless patient–nurse call system in facilities whose layout was not ideal at first.
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Care reports with a multiple-call visualizer. It is now possible to monitor several patients from a single screen—not referring to the use of video cameras, but to more concrete data presented in the form of line or bar charts, similar to Excel. The system updates values at set intervals, for example every 5 minutes, and allows monitoring from any PC, tablet, or smartphone that has the corresponding software.
Therefore, each nurse could have their own device to monitor their patients, in addition to there being a shared monitoring system in the nursing station.
Advantages of the wireless call system
The wireless call system increases efficiency in patient care in hospitals and large healthcare centers with many rooms, as well as in facilities that—often due to their age—did not previously have an easy way to monitor an entire floor from a single control room.
In addition, by eliminating the need for wiring, it becomes possible to implement other services such as fall alerts and floor mat sensors, which are especially valuable in senior care centers and in certain areas of a hospital.
If you still have any doubts about whether a wireless nurse call system or a more traditional one is better for your organization, contact Advantecnia. We will provide the best advice for your company and help you choose the most suitable patient–nurse call system for your hospital or care facility.
