New voice-activated communicator improves patient care at Orillia hospital

Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital seems quaint when compared to large health networks across the country. Orillia’s 235-bed hospital, about an hour north of Toronto, employs approximately 1,000 staff. Their revolutionary communication system, however, sets them apart. Vocera Communications Inc.’s new communications system enables 400 staff to communicate with one another instantaneously, and hands-free. Soldiers’ Memorial is one of the first hospitals in Canada to use the wireless, voice-activated device. Xwave, a division of Bell Aliant, is Vocera’s national distributor and provides client training, system integration and ongoing support. Through the system users can connect with one another instantly by speaking the desired party’s name or title, eliminating the need for pagers, intercoms and frantic searches. The system consists of two components: the Vocera communications badge and the system software. Users wear a badge that provides a voice-controlled user interface to Vocera’s communications system. "The intelligence is in the back-end server, which is built using databases. As a user, you’d be registered within that particular database by name or function," explains xwave’s business development manager for next generation solutions for healthcare, Heather Crawford. Dr. John Smith, for example, could be registered under a variety of categories such as Dr. Smith, cardiac surgeon, on-call cardiac surgeon or a combination of these, on any given shift, she explains. Specific communication devices, such as cell phones and IP addresses can also be specified within the system, enabling users to connect with one another through the most appropriate method. The system software runs on a Windows-based server containing the system’s smarts, user profiles, speech recognition and biometric voiceprint verification software. The system’s intelligence is centrally managed within an organization, enabling system-wide upgrades from one location. It rides on a standard 802.11b WLAN network, eliminating additional wiring costs. "It’s basically a VoIP communications system, so you don’t have interference with other equipment," explains Crawford. An additional telephony interface allows users to place calls to users both on and off the campus. Campus-wide broadcasts, text messaging and even emails are also voice-directed, she says: "I can say ‘send an email’ and it will create an attachment. I can receive an email from somebody and listen to it from my device." In hospitals, time is paramount. Locating and connecting with appropriate medical personnel through myriad pages, messages and physical searches can take up critical time. Clinicians, physicians, nurses and emergency personnel are rarely behind a desk for long, but through Vocera Communications System communication is instantaneous. "I’m positive saves lots of time," boasts Memorial’s president and CEO Bernie Schmidt. "The staff can get their jobs done more effectively and more efficiently. From a patient-care perspective, it’s ideal." Ironically, California-based Vocera didn’t originally develop the system for hospitals: the hotel/motel sector and retail industries were the primary markets. Its potential in healthcare facilities, however, was soon realized. The system is used in hospitals throughout the UK and Australia, and in approximately 300 US health campuses. Sydney’s Blacktown Hospital estimates the system resulted in 6,000 hours per year in timesavings for staff, a potential cost savings of more than $105,000. Since March 2006, Memorial has integrated the system in several areas, including its emergency ward, surgical areas, and intensive care unit. To date, the facility has spent upwards of $200,000, and plan on adding an additional 200 users in the near future. "It’s well worth the investment," says Schmidt, noting that not only can specialists be readily accessed in urgent matters, but also discharge orders, physician and nurse consultations can be processed in a timelier manner. "Patient care is improved overall," he adds. Vocera’s communications system can handle as many users as an organization registers, but its smallest system accommodates 75. "There are economies of scale," explains Crawford, "the more users you have, the cheaper it is." Eventually the Vocera system may replace the countless communications devices inherent in hospital environments, adding up to additional savings. "As we get more users, our reliance on those other forms of communication won’t be as great," says Schmidt.

New voice-activated communicator improves patient care at Orillia hospital

News | December 4, 2006

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