Wireless Communication's Role in Patient Response Time: A Study of Vocera Integration with a Nurse Call System

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the use and impact of wireless Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication technology developed by Vocera Communications and used by clinicians and mobile workers in a healthcare setting. Of particular interest for this study was the impact of a newly installed component of the Vocera system, the Vocera Messaging Interface (VMI), which enables connectivity between external systems and the Vocera system via the Vocera Server. We focused on a specific VMI application used in the healthcare industry that directly integrates Vocera with Nurse Call Systems. In this Vocera Nurse Call Integration (NCI)application, bedside calls from patients using the hospital's Nurse Call System trigger messages that are sent directly to the primary care giver. Primary care givers can read or play messages and either speak a command or respond to the call to the patient's pillow speaker via the PBX/Nurse Call system.

Keywords: Wireless, VoIP, Workflow, BPR, Nurse Call System, Value