Vocera Ease: Keeping NICU Families Updated, Informed, and at Ease

May, 2021

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in any hospital is a very special place. It is where you will find dedicated medical workers, nurses, and hospital staff providing special care and intensive medical attention to newborns who have been born premature, had difficult deliveries, have medical conditions, and/or have birth defects. It’s a place where you will also find nervous parents and families, often learning how to navigate this new normal.

One in twenty-five newborns will spend time in the NICU, sometimes for a few days and sometimes for weeks or even months. During this time, doctors may order a variety of tests, put your baby on a special high-calorie diet, and administer medicines while nurses handle round-the-clock care. While many parents and families spend a considerable amount of time in the NICU during their child’s stay, it is impossible to be there at all times.

Physically Separated but Totally Connected

This can be a stressful time for parents and families who want to spend every possible minute with their baby but cannot due to safety procedures and protocols or just life in general. While dealing with having a baby in the NICU, parents and families often still have to attend to other children at home, work schedules, and more, keeping them from being at the NICU as often as they may want. In addition, COVID-19 has brought about even stricter access to NICUs to reduce the risk of exposure for babies and hospital staff. The Ease app provides the ultimate in communication between the NICU staff and the families of their tiniest patients. Ease keeps parents, extended family, and friends calm and informed by allowing medical professionals the ability to provide updates throughout a baby’s NICU stay, including photos, short video clips, feedings, growth updates, and more.

The Ease App: What Is It and What It Does

The Vocera Ease app is a secure, messaging platform that health care teams can use to connect families and patients with videos, photos, and texts in real time. Ease was created to meet the need and demand from families for more access and inclusion into their loved one’s medical progress, including stressful NICU stays. By connecting a mobile device to a patient’s medical bracelet, the Ease app can be updated from anywhere in the hospital (without being tethered to a computer) so families always stay connected to their babies. Gone are the days of having to call into a nurse’s station in hopes to be instantly connected with your child’s nurse for an update when you are unable to be there.

Why Ease is Superior to Other NICU Camera Systems

NICU camera systems are usually a single, fixed-point camera stream that offers no real data, whereas the Ease app is more than a camera system. It is a complete communication platform that offers a personalized and connected experience. Ease is intentionally mobile and convenient. The app is downloaded to a phone or iPad—no need for laptops, browsers, or expensive cameras and attachments altering the NICU space. This means you will continue to be updated throughout your baby’s hospital stay and not just when they are in the NICU.

Hospital Communication Beyond the NICU

The Ease app is so much more than a piece of technology. It’s a tool that reduces anxiety, keeps you informed, and offers an unparalleled level of inclusion and transparency. Ease is currently being used by hospitals across the United States to keep families informed and at ease. For more information or to request a demo contact us today.