[February 25, 2005]

Wireless Voice in Health Care Centers: Utilizing Wireless Communication to Save Lives and Improve Productivity

BY ROBERT MESSINGER
Network Management Columnist

Wireless voice communications systems in hospitals and other healthcare centers are dramatically reducing response times among doctors, nurses and other medical support staff as well as management personnel. These systems both save lives and improve productivity. As hospitals continue to harness new technologies that improve patient care and streamline information flow, wireless communications will clearly be among the first adopted.

Wireless voice communications refers to systems that allow hospital personnel to send and receive voice calls that are either hands-free or require minimal use of hands.

Questions Hospital IT Managers Need to Explore:

• What individuals and groups need to communicate instantly within the organization?
• What communications systems are in place, what is their upgrade path, can they be integrated with IP-based systems?
• What type of training will be necessary to ensure employees use the system as effectively as possible?
• How should IT roll out the new system? Give to critical functions first, or test it with less-critical functions and then roll it out when any “bugs” are removed?

What to Look for in a Wireless Voice Communications System

As with any significant technology acquisition, hospital IT managers should audit existing communications systems and conduct a needs assessment prior to researching a wireless voice communications system.

IT managers will need to balance system features and functionality vs. initial and long-term costs. Because wireless voice communications systems can fundamentally change how hospital personnel communicate, Vector suggests implementing the new system in one or a limited number of departments first and then deploy across the facility.

Vector also recommends checking references carefully for important factors such as:

• What level of training and support did the vendor provide?
• How quickly were personnel able to use the system effectively and take advantage of new features?
• What resistance arose from implementation of the new system and how did the vendor assist the hospital in overcoming it?

There are several approaches to wireless voice communications, IT managers will have to determine which fits with the culture, budget, IT systems and other factors within their organizations:

In-building wireless phone systems – These solutions are part of the hospital’s telephony system, a significant advantage, but require personnel to remember phone numbers and are not hands-free.

Cellular phones – These have the same disadvantages as in-building wireless phone systems, with the added disadvantage that walls, ceilings, and equipment can degrade the signal.

“Badge” type systems – Personnel wear a small badge roughly the size of a credit card, which sends and receives messages hands-free. Each badge has a specific voice-activated address, enabling personnel to receive messages only for them. These systems are IP-based and tie into the hospital’s computer and telephony networks, which allows for a wide range of features.

Two-way systems – Similar to “walkie-talkies,” these devices are near-hands-free but have the disadvantage of operating on an open network; i.e., all personnel hear all messages that are sent and received.

Overhead paging – Still in wide use despite being outdated, overhead paging has the advantage of low-cost.

Benefits to Healthcare Facilities

Hospitals and health centers have traditionally operate with siloed information systems. For example, information collected and entered into the patient’s record database often has to be re-entered into the several other systems throughout the patient’s stay. There has been little or no compatibility among systems. This has started to change as hospital managers have realized the cost efficiencies of making information available across the entire facility. Wireless voice communications systems are just one piece of this integration.

For example, a patient arrives at the Emergency Room. After examination, it’s determined she requires admission, bloodwork, and an MRI. The charge nurse in the ER can contact the lab, the MRI technician and the charge nurse of the receiving floor instantly to set up the tests and determine room availability. Previously, this would often require sending pages and waiting for a call back from the specific departments, resulting in delays in service to the patient.

Prepare the Facilities’ Network Prior to Wireless System Implementation

Since the wireless voice system’s server integrates with the network server and/or telephony PBX, it is essential to ensure these systems can handle an additional data load. Several healthcare facilities have reported the need to either relocate and/or add new wireless access points to ensure optimal reception.

In addition, IT managers should review existing security solutions and research potential threats that could arise as a result of implementing this new system.

Vector's Advice: Wireless voice communications systems are a proven technology that many healthcare facilities have already adopted. As healthcare facilities continue to feel a budget squeeze, technologies such as these improve the productivity of personnel as well as reduce the possibility of delays in patient care, which have potentially fatal consequences.

For More Information

To learn more about networking issues and solutions, please contact Lauren Ruberry of Vector Resources, 310-436-1000, or [email protected].

About the Author

Robert Messinger is a co-founder and principal owner of Vector Resources. He has more than 15 years experience in the telecommunications and networking industries.