Nurse call systems have been in place for a long time within the healthcare industry, but have you wondered how they work? We're going to explore some of the common elements of a nurse call system.

You will find nurse call systems in retirement homes, long-term care, rehabilitation facilities, and within hospitals. 

Corridor Lights

Typically, you will find a corridor light by patient doors and within staff areas, and they provide visible indications to medical staff that the patient requires attention.

These lights can alert medical staff where the call originated from to help expedite the response. Patients typically have call stations available to them within their bed, and within the bathroom. The lights have multi-colored LEDs with the ability to flash or be constantly on to communicate a wide variety of information depending on how it's programmed. 

Nurse Console

You will typically find a nurse console at the nursing station, or in other areas where staff members congregate. This console receives all of the calls that are placed within the ward and permits staff members to communicate with patients to determine their needs, gauge the level of urgency, and start any work that needs to be completed for the patient.

Pillow Speaker

The pillow speaker is one of the main communication tools a patient has with their room. These bedside devices allow for patients to contact medical staff, access entertainment, and control the lights within their room.

Sometimes the pillow speaker will be connected to the patient station which will mute the TV when the nurse is communicating with the patient. 

Bathroom Station

It's imperative to provide patients the ability to call for help when they are in the bathroom as they may not be able to make it to another station to call for help. Within bathrooms in medical facilities, you will find bath and shower stations that have water-resistant pull cords that are activated when pulled. These will typically have a speaker within them to allow for medical staff to communicate with the patient directly. 

 Patient Station

Patient stations are used by medical professionals to allow them the flexibility to communicate with and monitor the patient directly without having to physically visit the room which helps make the use of their time more efficient.

You will find these stations within the room as they have a speaker and microphone to allow for the audio communication to happen. These stations can be connected as a wiring hub to enable monitoring of medical equipment.

Code Station

As you would guess, a code station is a push-button station that gives the ability to place a specific code call. These can be customized to the facility's needs. The most common code station is a code-blue station to indicate a cardiac arrest or medical emergency. 

Summary

Having the right nurse call system helps improve efficiency to provide care to patients. Some of the more advanced systems will help improve the workflow across teams throughout the entire facility. It's important to identify the right type of system for your facility, and that can be decided by a variety of factors including the size of the facility, types of patients served, and department needs.

BLTI has several options available for nurse call systems and we are available to visit your facility to learn more about needs before determining the best nurse call system for you. If you would like to schedule to have one of our nurse call professionals visit your facility, please feel free to contact us.