Integrated Mobile Solutions Provide Caregivers with Tools for Patient Safety
Today’s hospitals have a wide array of communication challenges, in many ways because of systems that are not integrated well or have become outdated and ineffective. As hospitals plan to update their technology, they seek to overcome these issues:
The concept of “alarm fatigue”, which inundates caregivers with both audible and visual alarms to the point where they can become desensitized to them.
Patients agitation from the incessant noise from paging systems, alarms and various alerts during their hospital stay.
Hospitals want to communicate with their caregivers and visitors to ensure quick response times for potential emergencies but do so in a manner that is effective, efficient, and unobtrusive.
As mobile technology has improved, the latest solution is to send targeted communications to the assigned caregiver, rather than broadcast alerts that contribute to the “noise” and alarm fatigue mentioned earlier. Ascom and Airstrip Technologies, have developed a solution that combines the Ascom Myco® smart mobile device with the Airstrip ONE platform to fit seamlessly into existing workflows and provide needed patient information regardless of the caregiver’s location.
Airstrip ONE reacts to a triggering event, sending cardiac waveforms, invasive monitoring measures, and associated vital signs directly to the assigned caregiver. The caregiver can then quickly zoom and scroll through the historical waveform data, along with near real-time remote monitoring to quickly assess the next step that is needed.
Jeron Electronic Systems, Inc. also offers a complete range of wireless mobility products to address patient monitoring and communications. Their flagship Provider 790 system is an IP communications solution that is flexible enough to meet any acute care challenge, including a host of wireless and mobile features. In addition to wireless phone, text messaging and pocket paging, the system automates real-time location of staff to ensure precious time is not wasted paging a caregiver to “check in.” When the caregiver enters a patient room, the caregiver is:
Automatically registered in that room, indicated by dome light color (green, orange, yellow) outside the room.
outstanding service calls are cleared
Rounding reminders are reset and one-time reminders are cleared.
Their location is registered in the overall nurse call system so other staff members can communicate with them.
As an added safety and security feature, the Provider 790 will unlock touchscreen workflow terminals in patient areas, giving staff full access to nurse call functionality.
At the end of the day, hospitals want their patients, caregivers, and visitors to feel safe and secure, whether it is an individual patient situation or a large-scale emergency. Gallaher is proud to be a technology solutions integrator that provides hospitals in our region with life safety technology that helps achieve their facility communications and disaster preparedness goals and overcome their hospital communications challenges. Stay tuned for the next part of the series related to communications challenges hospitals face when disaster strikes.
Contact us today at 877-656-SAFE (7233) or gallahersafe.com for more information on our healthcare and life safety technology solutions.
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