| Patient paging systems are being utilized in many NHS | | | | and nursing staffs' time. |
| Hospitals and clinics along with medical centres in the | | | | So how do patient paging systems work in practice? |
| private sector to improve patient flow in busy out | | | | Upon arrival at the reception area of a clinic or hospital |
| patient departments. It is increasingly common to see | | | | department the patient is booked in and issued with a |
| the use of patient pagers which are issued to patients | | | | patient pager, most of these pagers are small units |
| when waiting for their appointment. | | | | and often fitted with a lanyard to enable the patient to |
| The benefit of these to both the patient and the | | | | hang the pager around their neck. When called the |
| hospital is clear, the use of these systems offers the | | | | pager will flash & vibrate notifying the patient that |
| patient freedom of movement rather than being | | | | they are now ready to be seen. Pagers can be set to |
| restricted to what can often be a congested, busy | | | | alert via a combination of vibrate, flash and bleep, in |
| waiting area. Patients no longer have to sit within | | | | most medical environments they are set to either |
| earshot of the nursing staff who will be calling their | | | | vibrate & flash or vibrate only, this ensures that |
| name when their consultant is ready to see them. | | | | they are unobtrusive and do not create any undue |
| They can move beyond the waiting area and use the | | | | noise. |
| facilities such as a cafeteria or even step outside to | | | | To call the pager the hospital staff simply input the |
| make a phone call. | | | | patients pager number on the small desktop |
| From the patients perspective this is a major | | | | transmitter and press send. |
| improvement, offering them the freedom of | | | | Effective communication between staff and patients is |
| movement helps to make what can often be a | | | | an essential element in offering a better experience |
| stressful experience far less daunting. Undoubtedly this | | | | within hospitals and clinics. Often one of the biggest |
| promotes better health care. | | | | complaints patients have when visiting outpatient |
| For the hospital it means that they have far less | | | | departments is the extended wait times and the sitting |
| congestion around patient waiting areas and see a | | | | around waiting. Using a patient paging system will not |
| better flow of patients through their department. It also | | | | eliminate waiting times but it will give patients the ability |
| means that staff do not have the issue of trying to | | | | to take advantage of other facilities such as a |
| track down a patient for their appointment which can | | | | cafeteria or more relaxed waiting area. |
| result in delays and increased pressure on consultant | | | | |