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The two main objectives of the project were to design and mobilize a wireless calling system in a healthcare facility. This advanced technology allows the patient to request help through a button on a device which gives the nurse an audio and visual message on the 'dashboard'. This has resulted in quicker response times and enhanced patient care through direct, virtual interaction between the two. The given system contributes to improving the work and outcomes in the healthcare industry by fostering the independence of the patients and the efficiency of the staff members.
In this paper, we discuss a wireless nurse calling system presented in collaboration with Decodebits with a health care provider. This system also fulfills the main requirement of instigating an immediate dialogue between the nurse and the patient and does not require intervention from other individuals. Our goal in this experiment, therefore, was the optimization of care provision and hospital functionality through the adoption and application of wireless technology.
Most of the previous systems of patient-nurse communication implied the use of paper-based or third-party intermediaries, which resulted in a lack of quick answers and dissatisfied patients. This weak communication channel can mean that patients remain in discomfort or self or do not get needs met for some time, which is disruptive to the healing process.
For head-end equipment, Decodebits offered a wireless nurse calling system with main control by a switch operated by a patient with the nurse's dashboard directly informed. It consists of blinking LED to display the room number and blaring siren that reminds the nurses and keeps alerting until it gets responded. By involving patient calls directly in such a setup, patients can independently call for assistance, reducing the time taken to respond and improving the overall quality of care.
We followed a systematic approach encompassing assessment, development, and deployment to implement the wireless nurse calling system effectively.
In the assessment stage of the IMT, Decodebits conducted a review of the current status of communication between patients and nurses and noted areas of weakness. This step involved assessing the hospital's architectural environment and identifying the needs of the patients as well as the personnel who will be attending to them to come up with a new strategy suited for the health facility.
The last activity included the implementation of wireless technology in the healthcare system. To do that, we provided the patient with on-body switches while programming the nurses' station to receive and display alerts. It helped in coordination between patients with and without chronic diseases and the nurses, thereby allowing timely and efficient monitoring and management.
We designed and fine-tuned the alerting part, which has visual (blinking status LEDs) and audio (continuous blaring siren) cues. This configuration also makes it possible for the nurses on duty to become aware of a certain patient's call anytime he or she is in the facility regardless of the location he or she is in.
The final phase was to test the system and fine-tune it to fit a functional environment. Many tests were done to test how consistently and fast the wireless nurse calling system responds in different environments. This involved streamlining the alert processes and encoding procedures and guaranteeing that the nurses reply punctually, providing a sound and efficient communication system.
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