By Wahiawa General Hospital in Oahu, Hawaii has replaced pagers, cell phones and overhead pages with simple, sleek iPhones. The smartphones can been equipped with a healthcare app from Voalte that enables users to send and receive text messages, make high-def phone calls and receive critical care alarms.
The transition is expected to decrease the number of overhead pages and increase nurse productivity. Instead of walking down the hall to notify individual team members about an impending new admission, a charge nurse can text several team members simultaneously. When a telemetry alarm goes off, the nurse caring for the patient knows immediately — and can look at the alarm on her phone, en route to the patient. That’s important, because alarm fatigue — the natural human tendency to ignore alarms after awhile — can lead to disastrous patient outcomes. When nurses are notified directly of alarms, instead of assaulted continuously by background beeping noise, they’re more likely to respond promptly.
Officials at Wahiawa General are excited about the new technology. “Our goal is to deliver the very best care to every patient in our hospital,” said Jason Fujinaka, hospital CIO. “We are committed to providing state-of-the-art technology that will help our nurses provide quality care to our patients.”
What kind of technology does your hospital use to keep you connected and in-touch?
