8 Components of Nurse Calling Systems

Sep 1

If you have ever been to a hospital, care center, senior living home, or similar facility, you have likely seen or used a nurse call system to contact a nurse or medical professional while in a care room. Generally, these are referred to as nurse call systems by both the technology provider like Cady, the medical professional, and eventually the patient once they become familiar with it.

What are nurse calling systems?

Nurse calling systems allow the patient to alert the nurse/nurse’s station quickly which enables their healthcare team to respond promptly to their patient needs. Whether your system is in a senior living facility, emergency room, or a general healthcare facility, the nurse call system helps a patient feel safe and not forgotten.

To make the nurse calling system function, there are 8 components necessary in this healthcare telecommunication solution:

Pillow Speaker / Patient Remote

Starting with the patient experience, a speaker that looks similar to a tv remote and very familiar is given to the patient to give easy access to their nurses, TV / entertainment, and control of the environment around them in the healthcare patient room. When the pillow speaker is plugged into a patient station, the nurse call intercom audio coordinates with the pillow speaker which will simultaneously mute any current entertainment audio.

Patient Room Call Cord

A call cord is plugged into a pillow speaker jack on a patient station to provides call-in priority customizable to the need of the healthcare facility. Whether a simple need to an emergency, when a call cord button is pressed, a ring or other visual indicator illuminates to indicate that a call has been placed and the nurses’ station has been notified.

Patient Station / Patient Hub

A patient station gives the nursing station prompt and direct communication with patients, residents, or healthcare professionals in the patient room. This allows them to immediately listen for needs to eliminate unnecessary trips back and forth and optimization of their time. A patient station is installed in the patient room near the bedside. It also acts as a wiring hub to monitor medical equipment to further assist in nurse productivity and time optimization.

Restroom, Shower or Bathroom Station and Call Cord

Bathroom or restroom stations are water-resistant pull cords that activate when pulled. A bathroom station secures your patients in the even they have fallen, need assistance with hygiene, or there is an emergency.

Corridor Dome Light

A corridor dome light is usually located in the hallways to provide a visual indication of calls originating from a bedside, bathroom, and code stations as well as service needs and staff involvement. A corridor dome light will alert the nursing team to the call location to improve the response time and need understanding. The corridor dome lights utilize multi-colored LEDs to provide high-visibility to visually communicate effectively on a situation.

Code Station Button

A code station button allows a nurse to place a code call. Using buttons for each need, these stations can be customized for call-ins such as “Code Blue”, “Code Pink”, etc. They are connected to the associated corridor dome lights and monitored for station presence.

Nurse Station Console

Housed at the nursing station, this is the device that activates from the pillow speaker, medical equipment notice from the patient hub, or the call cord. It is the interface the nurse utilizes to help determine patient need, reduce walking, and improve productivity to the nursing team.

Nurse Call System Design and Support

An important component in a sound nurse call system is a provider like Cady Business Technologies who can make sure the nurse call system is properly installed and functioning at all times. We trust, partner and recommend the Heritage Visual Nurse Call System (VNS) which has been designed to meet patient call needs.

Dan Cady