Call Lights For Receiving Care Throughout Inpatient Hospital Settings

Alarm fatigue is a growing national problem within the health care industry that links medical technology as a serious hazard that poses a significant threat to patient safety within hospitals across the country. Alarm fatigue occurs when nurses encounter an overwhelming amount of alarms thus becoming desensitized to the firing alarms. Alarm desensitization is a multifaceted issue that is related to the number of alarming medical devices, a high false alarm rate, and the lack of alarm standardization in hospitals today (Cvach, 2012). Desensitization can lead to delayed response times, alarms silenced or turned off, or alarms adjusted to unsafe limits, which can create a dangerous situation for the patient. Alarm fatigue

This reading discusses the use of wireless alerts pagers in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit and how it affects both work practices and information flows through a qualitative study. From the research that exists, we can see that pagers are successful communication tools because of the mobility and immediacy they provide. Interviews were completed with physicians and pharmacist who used the pagers and nurses who did not use the pager about how it impacted their work. In addition to collecting data this way, the researchers also compiled observational data from watching the device be used in regular practice. The study noted that

Bedside reporting involves giving information or a report to the oncoming nurse in the presence of a patient. This method gives the patient an opportunity to ask questions and get clarification regarding his or her care. Bedside reporting increases patient satisfaction, quality of healthcare and nurse-to-nurse responsibility. Hospitals need to design a better handoff process that can easily reduce patient risks and increase patients’ involvement in their care. Emergency rooms shift reports usually take place at the nursing station of every patient care area. The departing nurse gives information verbally to the oncoming shift. Therefore,

Answering the call light (also called call bell a handheld like that is attached to the patient room wall, above the headboard of the bed) in a timely manner by the nursing staff in hospital setting is necessary to prevent falls that can harm, prolonged stays, and unnecessarily increase the cost of healthcare. However, researches concerning call light uses as it relates to patient safety, patient-care management and patient satisfaction are limited (Meade et al. 2006). Patients and their families emphasize that nurses should monitor patients constantly and provide assistance and answer a call light in a timely manner (Yoder, 2011). Note that the falls may be caused by several factors such as

The results of the study showed that significant increase in patient satisfaction scores, decreased call light usage, and reduction in patients fall rates. One-hour rounding shows higher satisfaction than two hour- rounding. Hypothesis supported the study because the research shows rounding can reduce patient call light usage (Meade, Bursell, Ketelsen , 2006). The theoretical framework that forms the basis of the research is that consistent nursing rounds can meet the basic needs of patient and ultimately reduce call light use and [pic]improve management of patient care while also[pic] increasing [pic]patient satisfaction and[pic] safety.

In addition, high risk participants received education relating to falls which involved nurses instructing participants not to get out of bed without assistance, to press the call-bell for assistance and how to use the call-bell. As part of this study protocol, participants in the intervention group received usual care which include: fall risk assessment, placing the call-bell, TV remote control, eyeglasses, dentures, and hearing aids within the patient’s reach. Other interventions that have been used were bed and chair alarms, bed was in the lowest position at all time except when care was being provided and bed brakes were locked at all times. The patient’s elimination needs were scheduled every two hours, bedside commode was provided for frequent elimination needs, the patient was not left unattended while on bedside commode or in the bathroom. For a safe bathroom environment toilets was raised, toilet seats were secure, and handrails was strong enough to support patients, and patient was also instructed to pull the call light if feeling dizzy or in need of any assistance . Furthermore, the room temperature was

Hourly rounding is a strategy involving nurses and other health care staff to regularly “check in” on patients every hour. Because nursing staff is not reacting to call lights, patients are more content and happy; therefore nurses feel they are doing a better job helping their patients (Studer, 2007). Research has shown that rounding every hour lowers patient’s use of call lights and resultantly decreases the workload of the nurse (Leighty, 2007; Meade, Bursell, & Ketelsen, 2006; & Tipton, 2008). Performing hourly rounds has contributed to 20% less walking per shift

Clinicians recognize risk factors assess, better diagnose and manage patients and reduce mortality rates. (Trenary, 2007)Describes how Banner Health Care System uses a system called eICU where patients are cared for by intensivists, experienced critical care nurses and health unit secretaries working from a remote location on the campus of Banner Desert Medical Centre. From this location care clinicians can see and hear six different units in five different hospitals .Their aim is to increase this added support to all ICU patients within their Banner Health Care System across the seven states in twenty different facilities. .Using the eICU system the ICU rooms are fitted with a camera, microphone and a speaker .The camera is activated when initiated by the bedside team when there is an alert received from the eICU system .There is no recording availability so the system is HIPAA compliant .This system adds an additional support to the nurse patient ration at bedside. A similar system is used in the Ob department to support the nurses and help to reduce complications during childbirth

Miscommunication and missed information, resulting in potential errors, have been on the rise at Pelham Medical Center. In the past, the primary nursing staff was giving verbal report to oncoming nurses at the nursing stations. There are many disadvantages to this practice. Verbal report at the nursing station is distracting with so many nurses talking at the same time and is frequently interrupted by other staff, call bells, and family members. There are also potential HIPPA violations when reporting on patients within earshot of other people who are not involved in that patient’s care. The patients and their family members or care

Despite many efforts to improve staffing numbers, there is often still a staff shortage among staff in hospitals and acute care settings. While the most obvious solution to short staffing is to hire more nurses, there are also other ways to make staffing more effective. A patient acuity tool is a staffing instrument that can be used to decide how much time and attention each individual patient requires. By knowing the acuity level of each patient, charge nurses can decide how many patients each nurse can be assigned to at a time. This essay describes the way a patient acuity instrument improves healthcare outcomes by promoting patient-centered care and improving on key nurse competencies including teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, and safety measures.

Tzeng and Yin (2009) identified the main reasons for call light use and the impact that hourly rounds have in decreasing the call light use rate and patient falls. This study was done in a community hospital located in Michigan and used archived hospital data for analyses. The archives involved were from four adult acute care units during February 2007- June 2008: one surgical unit with 53 beds, two medical units with both totaling 87 beds and one medical-surgical combined unit with 58 beds (Tzeng, & Yin, 2009).

Although monitors and alarms are designed with the goal of improving patient monitoring and safety, the overwhelming number of alarms on any given inpatient unit may be doing the exact opposite. The result is that healthcare workers become overwhelmed with efforts to respond to multiple alarms. A report (Mitka, 2013) concluded that many facilities do not address alarm fatigue until something goes wrong. Healthcare workers also experience desensitization, resulting in missed alarms, and delayed response to critical alarms that place patients at

The abstract of the study clearly and concisely summarized the main features of the report. It stated that the study was conducted as a qualitative, ethnographic research. Then, it briefly described the problems associated with call bells and how these problems affected patients’ perceptions regarding the quality of care. It explained that the study identified three interrelated themes regarding communication through call bells including answering the call bell, communicating the patient’s request to the appropriate health care provider and following through with the

One of the many goals of the nursing profession is to provide high-quality, safe patient care. There are many responsibilities that come with a nursing career and when the nurse to patient ratio increases, there is a possibility that it may hinder the safe care that patients deserve, and this may result in negative patient outcomes and level of satisfaction. Staffing is one of the many issues that healthcare facilities face. In many facilities, there never seems to be enough nurses per shift to provide high quality, thorough patient care which often leads to burnt out staff, and frustrated patients and families. This review discusses the findings of quantitative studies and one systematic review that involves patient outcomes in relation to nurse staffing.

Over time electric bells are being used to establish a call link between patients and Nurses at the Nurse stations, this is always situated at the bedside of the patient but as time went by upgrades were being made to this based on the level of technology at different points in time. Having substantially explored the world of Technology I came across a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Technology which I feel if integrated to the medical distress alert system will go a long way in being able avail ease to patient while the medical personnel can as well track record of patients in the wards while a concrete database system can be actualized being updated from time to time without stress