Beyond the Button

It wasn't that long ago that nurse call equipment was a bedside push button that would turn on a light at the nursing station. Today one press of a button on a wall-mounted or bedside control activates the wireless nurse call system. The patient alert is forwarded to a console at the nursing station as a primary notification. It is simultaneously forwarded to IP phones or pagers to alert mobile clinicians wherever they are on the floor so they can immediately attend to the patient.

Nurse call systems feature two-way communication so the nurse can call back and speak to the patient to understand his or her need before going to the patient room or to the nursing station. The nurse can also use the system to send requests to other healthcare personnel after consulting with the patient and rapidly assemble a specialty team if needed.

Help is on the Way

Nurse call systems mean that older patients or those in long-term care facilities lead more independent lives while ensuring that members of the medical team are close at hand to help in an emergency. Some systems include active RFID pendants or patient wristbands with wireless nurse call functionality and real-time locating system (RTLS) capability. These systems identify the precise location of the patient and find the nearest qualified medical staff member to reduce response time.

By integrating communications like wireless phones, pagers, and other end points, nurse call solutions ease collaboration among mobile caregivers, and the hospital staff is able to respond quickly and more effectively.