New Communication Technology Featured at Saint Francis Hospital

HARTFORD, Conn. – Nurses at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center are using new technology to provide wireless staff and patient communication effectively and instantaneously.

There has been an increased focus on improving communications in workplaces so organization managers have been looking on www.sip.us, into wireless solutions, and even seeing how social media can WhatsApp may be able to help them. In the end, they are using the specialized Rauland Responder’s Direct Connect.

The technology, Rauland Responder’s Direct Connect, links the hospital’s nurse call system with each individual staff member’s mobile device. The technology is meant to improve hospital communication even through hospital expansions and upgrades.

“Before using Rauland’s Direct Connect integration, we attempted to use middleware to connect the phones and nurse call,” said Angela Cotton, clinical budget manager at Saint Francis, in a statement. “That encountered problems from day one, leaving the floors with delayed calls.”

The Responder’s Direct Connect was chosen because of its easy connection to the staff’s Cisco mobile phones. The technology can monitor and provide data on staff response times, workflow, patient calls and patterns of workloads. Direct Connect also creates a much calmer, quieter atmosphere for healing.

“Using Direct Connect and Responder’s Reports Manager, we can analyze patient call and nurse response patterns and productivity in an entirely new way,” Cotton said. “It’s amazing how much quieter the floors are following this integration.”

In a building in which every minute can be crucial, the updated communication system allows staff to better use their time. The one-touch alerting system can be customized to each hospital unit’s specific workflow.

“By using the Responder staff terminals to communicate, we can save five, 10, 15 minutes of doctor and staff time, and there’s no more need to go locate staff or find them by phone or pager,” said Katherine Stanton, clinical informatics database analyst, in a statement. “It’s extremely important in helping boost workflow and productivity with better communication.”

While staff benefits from the updated communication, hospital staff believes patients are given much better care as a result of Direct Connect.

“Our patients love that they can instantly talk from their bed with a nurse no matter where the nurse is located,” said Krystyna Demusz, nursing manager, in a statement. “They’re reassured by the ability to reach their caregiver with no delay. Patient satisfaction has improved and the units are much quieter.”