Nurse Call Systems and HCAHPS Scores

There are a number of ways to help improve your hospital’s HCAHPS scores. These begin and end with service to a patient – have you helped that patient address their concerns and made them feel comfortable and cared for while at your hospital? Do patients feel more knowledgeable? Hospitals take a lot of steps when it comes to staff training and how to interact with patients. Yet what about the tools that help staff and patients connect in the first place – nurse call systems?

Too many hospitals and other health care facilities still rely on antiquated nurse call systems. These can be frustrating for patients to use. They’re wired to the bed or to the wall. If it’s a struggle to walk across the room just to sit by the window or be in a different position for a while, then it’s just as much of a struggle to walk back across the room to the nurse call button. If the patient has particular need to call a nurse, it may be because they can’t get back across the room in the first place. A patient in this situation can feel abandoned or forgotten.

With the technology we have today, it makes no sense to keep nurse call systems tied to the wall or bed. Wireless nurse call systems mean a patient can keep their call button around their neck. This makes calling for help easy. It also helps patients feel like the support you provide is constantly and readily accessible. It’s a simple change that can turn around a patient’s satisfaction with the care being provided.

Best of all, it’s not a costly shift to make. In the long run, you’ll end up saving more. If a wireless call button goes out, you replace it. If an old-fashioned call button goes out, you may have to rip up the wall to replace wiring. New systems are more reliable and even if they falter, they’re centrally located and accessible. If an old system falters, it could mean tearing open the walls of multiple rooms. Over time, the new wireless nurse call system can cut down on costs considerably.