According the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 40.3 million people in the United States over 65, an increase of 5.3 million over the 2000 Census, and expected to continue trending upwards. As more and more people are now living considerably longer than in the past, the number of people in assisted living or nursing facilities and the length of time that they spend there, is also on the rise. As a result of this growing need, healthcare communications technology is making some great advances to help ensure that the residents of these facilities, especially those with decreased mobility, have access to the highest quality safety and security devices to help provide them with the best possible care.
One critical system that has seen recent advances is the nurse or emergency call system, which provides patients or residents the ability to remotely alert nurses, or other healthcare professionals, that they are in need of assistance. There are many available call system components that not only improve the quality of life for the patient, but help facilitate better assistance from caretakers, especially when understaffed. System devices can include the traditional bedside call button, emergency pull cords and wearable devices. Installing a combination of these devices allows patients to have mobility throughout a facility without the risk of being unable to contact someone if they were to need immediate assistance. Some of these devices also have the ability to prevent patients from wandering into dangerous areas such as stairwells, or building exits.
Whether aid is needed due to an emergency situation, or simply for general assistance, there are a multitude of ways that caretakers can now be notified. One of the biggest advancements is call systems that are able to integrate with smartphones. Beyond convenience, this allows patient information automatically be put into the hands of caregivers to improve the speed of needed assistance. Traditional monitoring devices such as consoles are now also getting additional capabilities, such as sending and receiving voce and text messages. Even innovative designs in sconce lighting now allow alarms to be transmitted in aesthetic manor that can help facilities feel less like a hospital, and more like home.
Given the advancements surrounding healthcare communications and notification systems, it is no surprise that they now also provide more output information than ever before. Automatic documentation and report generation can make the entire compliance reporting dramatically more efficient. Add to that the ability to access information securely from a browser on any computer or mobile device and it is easy to see the benefits of an updated system, not only to improve emergency response times, but also increase the overall patient or resident satisfaction, and provide families with peace of mind.
If you would like to learn more about nurse or emergency call system applications and the host of additional features available, we would be happy to provide a one-on-one consultation to answer any questions, and help determine what might be the best system for your needs. Please reach out to our Systems Integrator, Dale Moreau, or your regional integrator at 1-800-370-3473.
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