INTERNATIONAL STORIES
SHIFTING ROLE OF NURSE CALL SOLUTIONS DURING COVID Matt Wakelam Senior Healthcare Solutions Manager Static Systems Group Matt Wakelam, senior healthcare solutions manager at Static Systems Group, explores the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated more sophisticated ways of working and led to far greater recognition of the many benefits delivered by advanced nurse call technology. telephony system and provided staff with Digitalisation is changing the face of ‘hands- free’ devices. healthcare, and, through necessity, the This meant that prioritised and triaged COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged events were sent directly to staff - allowing greater acceptance of the digitallyalerts to be received at any location. It enhanced hospital, allowing transformation also meant two-way voice communication to take place more quickly than would between staff and patients was made have been the case in normal times. The possible – allowing conversations to take pandemic saw Static Systems Group (SSG) place and assessments to be made without work in close collaboration with numerous the need to approach the patient bedside. clinical teams throughout the UK and overseas to help hospitals embrace the Reducing the risk of full functionality of nurse call – far beyond transmission patient-to-staff communication. By developing innovative solutions and The amount of repeat visits to a patient for integrating critical alarm and patient-toa single call was consequently reduced staff communication with other advanced as by talking with the patient in advance, healthcare technology, we have not only staff were able to check which supplies or helped healthcare providers to reduce the information were required prior to attending exposure between COVID-positive patients the bedside. By minimising the amount of and care teams but have, at the same time, time spent in the patient’s room, the risk of assisted hospitals in enhancing workflow The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated more exposure and transmission of the virus was efficiency through improved communication sophisticated ways of using advanced nurse much lower. call technology. and collaboration across the clinical space. Furthermore, the amount of PPE being One interesting example of this has used was reduced as it was only now being been the acceptance of speech communication available with used when it was necessary to enter the patient room and not our systems to help reduce the risk of infection transmission. for every query. In addition, the hands-free and touch-screen
The benefits of two-way communication between patients and clinical staff During the early stages of the pandemic, for example, we were approached by a UK-based NHS Trust with whom we have a longstanding relationship. We were tasked to help reduce the exposure between COVID-positive patients and care teams in one of the Trust’s hospitals. We enabled the nurse call speech facility, connected it with the existing
intercom options offered by our nurse call systems proved to be particularly valuable when used within the hospital’s isolation rooms, with touch- screen intercoms located outside each room. Having a two-way speech facility also delivers benefits for COVID-positive patients as - even when being cared for in isolation - patients can quickly and easily speak to those responsible for their care and receive reassurance, making them feel less isolated. By integrating our nurse call systems
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