Whittington Hospital in North London, one of the capital’s main general hospitals, is now seeing major benefits thanks to the MediCall patient paging system from CST.
The hospital, with one of the most modern and innovative imaging departments in Europe, has improved the patients’ experience while waiting for imaging examinations, making outpatient visits more pleasurable as a result.
Recep Suleyman, Imaging Services Manager at the hospital, is responsible for ensuring that the X-Ray department runs smoothly. And a crucial part is to ensure that patients are seen as quickly as possible.
"When outpatients come in for X-Rays or scans, they shouldn’t have to sit for long periods in the waiting rooms," he says. "We can’t always say exactly how long they’ll have to wait, but it needs to be as comfortable and stress free as possible.
"These can be difficult times for accompanying relatives too, and the last thing they want to do is to congregate outside imaging rooms. If a patient has a lengthy appointment, their families, carers or any children are often frustrated at being restricted to the waiting room."
"It’s so much better if we give outpatients the freedom to wander while they are waiting. However, we need to be able to contact them immediately when they are needed for imaging or their results."
For Recep Suleyman, the answer came in the form of MediCall, the paging system optimised for the hospital environment. On arrival each patient (or parent) is given a special pager. It means they needn’t be confined to queue in the waiting room, but can wander to other areas of the hospital, such as the cafeteria, and still be contacted immediately when the specialist is ready to see them.
The pagers include three alerts – bleeping, flashing light and vibration – that meet common disability issues with paging in a hospital environment, such as sight and hearing.
The MediCall system has been a huge hit with patients and relatives, according to Recep Suleyman.
"Whittington Hospital holds regular surveys of patient satisfaction, and when we asked them recently what they thought of the new system, this was the first time that a survey scored 100%. Everyone was delighted with it," he said. "Patients, visitors, staff, doctors – even the children who come with parents love it, because it’s got flashing lights and buzzers, and it’s tough enough to stand up to their little hands.
"We’re very proud of making the outpatients’ experience so good here at Whittington Hospital," he concludes. "MediCall has been a huge help to us. It has also improved productivity by allowing clinical staff to call patients without spending time between the imaging and waiting rooms."
The MediCall system is very simple to operate. When visitors arrive, if they need to wait you simply handed them pager and then have the freedom to wander. When you need to page them, press the pager number on the transmitter keypad, then press the # key.
For CST, one of the major difficulties for installing wireless paging at Whittington is that large parts of the X-Ray department have protective lead-lined walls. While this is an essential safety measure, it also radically reduces the efficiency of most wireless devices.
This is where CST’s expertise in wireless communications came into play. To counter the reduction in wireless signal, a Booster Repeater Unit was needed in the hospital – this gives patients and relatives freedom to roam and ensure the signal reached wherever it was needed. Anyone carrying a MediCall pager can now be reached instantly, with no ‘black spots’ for reception.
The wireless MediCall paging system is easy to implement, use and manage. The pagers are large enough so that patients won’t forget them in their pocket, but small enough to be discreet. The latest UHF technology ensures they offer effective coverage and do not affect medical equipment. They are tough, durable and reliable, little maintenance is required and running costs are negligible. Since MediCall is a wireless system, installation is fast, easy and unobtrusive.
For details freephone Call-Systems Technology on 0800 389 5642, email the company at sales@call-systems.com or visit the CST website www.call-systems.com