A new communications system, actually inspired by Star Trek, is now being used by employees at the medical centers of the North Broward Hospital District (NBHD).
Physicians, nurses and other hospital personnel now can press a button on the special badge, speak the name of the person he or she wants to reach (or the category, such as “anesthesiologist”), and the employee is connected.
Vocera badge (measuring 4.2″ x 1.4″) is smaller than a cell phone.
“Employees can immediately communicate with each other,” said Joseph Wagner, NBHD vice president and chief information officer. “The badge, or Vocera system, is a voice-activated communications system that uses the Districts new wireless network. It definitely increases productivity and streamlines communications.”
The new Vocera system is in use at the NBHD’s Broward General Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center and North Broward Medical Center. The system was recently installed at Coral Springs Medical Center.
The way the system, developed by Vocera Communications of Cupertino, CA, works is this: hitting the badge button and saying a name triggers a powerful computer server (similar to a switchboard) that matches the name spoken with a database entry. It then locates that person on the network, activates his/her badge and starts the conversation, which uses Voice-Over-Internet Protocol, or VOIP.
Nurses and doctors greatly enjoy the time-saving communications badge. “It allows the clinician to be hands-free,” said Dr. Nabil El Sanadi, chairman and director of emergency medicine at Broward General Medical Center. “If I am stitching a patient and need more suture material, I can stay at the bedside, call the nurse and say exactly what I want. It saves movement and it saves time when you need more help with a patient.”
North Broward Hospital District Clinical Nurse Specialists Trish Corvino, left, and Renee Clarke-Hall discuss the use of Vocera.
Another feature of the communications badge is that it can call groups of people at one time. “If you have a code blue or brain attack alert and you need a team around the patient, you can do that,” Dr. El Sanadi said. “This is unbelievably useful.”
The hospital halls are quieter now, because there is less overhead paging employees can communicate via their Vocera badge.
The new communications system saves frustration when a doctor wants to talk to his/her patient’s nurse. Previously, nurses and doctors spent a lot of time playing phone and page tag. Nurses need approvals for treatments from doctors who often aren’t easy to find. Calling the doctor usually takes several minutes, and many times the doctor cannot call back immediately, by which time a nurse may have left to help another patient. Now, when the doctor calls the nurse through the Vocera system, the nurse is located immediately.
Post Views: 891
