• Complete ROI Report
• St. Agnes Case Study
• Univ. of Maryland Study
• United General Hospital
• Westmead ROI

Healthcare Solutions

Disaster Preparedness:  Wireless Communication in Hospital Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

Clinical Workflow:  Time and Motion Study

Alarm and Alert Integration:  Expediting Clinical Response Times

Vocera Communications and other wireless technologies are becoming part of hospital disaster preparedness plans.  Read the complete white paper.

To maintain order and efficient patient flow and response, all hospitals in the U.S. have developed disaster or emergency preparedness plans that outline chains of command, communication procedures, and other important protocols to keep the hospital running in a crisis.  According to Dr. Keith Conover, M.D., surgeon and member of the Hospital Disaster Committee for Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, there are several characteristics all preparedness plans must have to be “effective and practical.”

• Completeness: The disaster plan must anticipate and provide for all aspects of disaster operations and outline procedures for a multitude of emergency medical contingencies.
• Simplicity: A simple, well-designed disaster preparedness plan will minimize the potential for mistakes in an actual emergency.
• Adaptability: Procedures outlined must be adaptable to a variety of situations and unforeseen circumstances.
• Compatibility: Hospitals generally operate independently. However, in the case of a large-scale incident, it is important to have a plan that can be easily coordinated with assisting hospitals and agencies.
• Delineation of Authority: Dr. Conover asserts, “An operation involving many people of different backgrounds, capabilities, and training can succeed only if the standards of the disaster plan are enforced by a unified leadership with a well-defined hierarchy.”

Recognizing the importance of these factors and the development of a thorough, efficient disaster preparedness plan provides facilities a defined process to follow when a crisis occurs. Read the complete white paper.

Vocera Communications System saves 3,400 hours per unit per year.  Read the complete white paper.

Vocera Communications, in conjunction with First Consulting Group (FCG) and St. Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore, Maryland conducted a comprehensive benefits study measuring the impact the Vocera wearable instant communication system has on time savings, workflow, and nursing satisfaction in the hospital.

Conducted at St. Agnes Healthcare, a 299-bed, full-service, teaching community hospital, the study showed the Vocera Communications System saved each healthcare unit an average of 3,400 hours per year in time looking for resources, which equates to a cost savings of $74,000 per unit per year. The system also reduced noisy overhead paging by 94 percent.

Additional study findings show:

• Nursing and unit secretary time savings were substantial. Specifically, unit secretaries saved 1,650 hours; nurses saved 1,146 hours; and nurse techs saved 626 hours annually. This is the equivalent of 1.7 FTEs (full-time equivalent) per unit.
• Using the Vocera System for communication was up to five times faster than other communication methods, including paging systems.
• Almost 80 percent of the nurses agreed that Vocera has positively improved workflow.
  
  

Wireless Communication Role in Patient Reponse Time:  A Study of Vocera Integration with a Nurse Call System   Read the complete report.