A high-tech communications system at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center allows employees to communicate with each other faster, better, hands-free, and without the noise pollution of overhead paging.
After a successful pilot program in the Emergency Department, Vocera, a voice-activated communication device that hangs around the neck or clips to a shirt, was recently deployed hospital-wide and is getting rave reviews.
Whether it’s for a patient transport, lab test results, a housekeeping need, an extra set of hands to perform a procedure, or a physician consult, EIRMC employees simply say another employee’s name (or a department name) into the device, and they are instantly connected.
The device not only bridges all other Vocera users, but also to any inside or outside phone lines, allowing caregivers to remain at the patient’s side without interrupting hands-on care, rather than leaving to find a phone.
“We’ve had great feedback, even from our few ‘technology-challenged’ peers, laughed Justin Martin, EIRMC’s IT&S Director. “One such person ended up wanting to turn in their pager after just a couple of days using Vocera, because it’s so much easier to use.”
Willie Cody, who transports patients to and from Medical Imaging throughout the hospital, said he loves how Vocera makes him more efficient at his job. “This is a big hospital, and I’m all over these floor and halls all day long, taking patients in wheelchairs and gurneys to go get X-rays and MRI’s. This makes it way easier for people trying to get a hold of me to find me, and it’s great when I need to get them and don’t have to stop to use a phone. I can just walk, talk, get the patients to where they are going, and save a lot of time and motion.”
Operating off the existing wireless infrastructure in the hospital, Vocera does everything a desk top or cell phone can do, but is completely hands-free and voice-activated.
