Bothwell Regional Health Center implemented a two-way radio and headset system in its emergency department last spring. Since then, the Sedalia, Mo.-based hospital has seen an improvement in staff communication and patient flow, reports the Sedalia Democrat.
Staff members wear a small earpiece connected to a radio receiver on their belt that allows them to communicate with anyone in the ED through a closed radio group system.
"When I started here, we identified that we had a communication issue within the department," said Joe Keary, director of emergency department services at BRHC. He recommended using the radio system after witnessing its success at Kansas City, Mo.-based HCA Midwest Health, which uses the system in all seven of its hospitals.
"We put them out front with our admitting staff, so from the first time a patient checks in it's announced over the radio. So all the ER staff knows there's a new patient. Before that, it was a phone call to one person, and if that one person is busy, there might be a delay, while they wait to tell someone else," Mr. Keary said.
The radios and headsets proved so successful at reducing delays in the ED and speeding up patient care, the system is now being implemented in other departments at BRHC.
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