Nurse call systems are frequently found in hospitals and care homes and play an important role in alerting nurses and carers to the fact that patients or residents need help. Whether it is staff or patients asking for help in an emergency situation, nurse call systems can literally offer a lifeline. And of course, such systems offer ongoing support in non-urgent situations as well, enabling individuals to request assistance if they have a particular requirement or need some extra support.
Over time, nurse call systems have evolved considerably. Their functionality has come on leaps and bounds from their origins as straightforward bell call systems, thanks to the evolution in the available technology. The range of benefits they can now potentially deliver to both patients and staff are considerable.
Nurse call systems provide reassurance to patients and their relatives
It is vital that patients and residents have the reassurance of knowing they can alert staff to a problem at any time of day or night. For the majority of the time this will be related to basic care needs, or perhaps specific support that’s required in relation to an ongoing health issue. Nurse call solutions can also be incorporated as part of an access control and CCTV system (including door monitoring), enabling staff to be aware of patients’ and residents’ whereabouts on an ongoing basis to increase their safety.
Regrettably the need to call for help can also be connected to security incidents too: care homes and hospitals continue to be targeted for criminal acts such as break-ins, and appallingly there have also been instances of residents being attacked, including this incident in Manchester last summer. It is essential that residents have a means to call for help and have the confidence that it will be responded to rapidly.
Nurse call systems can be adapted to meet specific patient needs
There will inevitably be cases where specific patients or residents will have challenges in using the more conventional nurse call systems. For example, some individuals might have cognitive impairments that make certain nurse call systems difficult to understand, or there could be patients who lack strength and dexterity in their hands due to their condition. There are a range of solutions that can be integrated to address these individual needs, such as pillow switches with transmitters connected to long range pagers, and alarmed floor and mattress mats that enable staff to be aware if a patient who is at risk of falling is trying to get out of bed.
Greater ease of installation and location flexibility
In many cases, it’s still more practical and desirable to have a nurse call system hard-wired into a building. But as the technology has evolved, it’s created other options which might be more suitable in some circumstances. Such options include the many wireless models that have come onto the market, which have removed a significant number of the installation issues that some organisations might have found disruptive. This has created even more flexibility over locations and types of environments where such a system can be used: nurse call alarm points can be easily installed in individual rooms, bathrooms, toilets and other shared areas. Changes in layout can be easily accommodated too, making sure that patients and residents are never far away from a call point.
Helping to improve care
Developments in nurse call system technologies allows them to be integrated with smart digital devices. That enables nurses and carers to communicate instantly with each other and patients and residents, as well as potentially providing more rapid access to clinical data.
These technologies can also facilitate better centralised management and maintenance of the nurse call system itself. If there is a communications point failure, the system can notify the estate and facilities management team straight away, allowing them to respond quickly and helping to reduce the risk of an undetected failure in the system which could compromise patient care.
Are you getting the most from improvements in nurse call system technologies?
Technology is offering new ways to improve standards of patient and resident care while ensuring they are safe and secure at all times. If you would like to know more about the various nurse call system options available, please contact your nearest Jackson Fire and Security branch for further details.