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Considering Voice-Activated Clinical Communication? 

Here Are Three Places to Start

Two surgical team members perform surgery in the  operating room

Voice-activated, hands-free communication continues to grow in popularity. In healthcare settings, many factors can make it difficult for staff members to use communication devices that require handling — from cumbersome personal protective equipment (PPE) to sterility concerns and more. However, certain high-activity, high-risk departments may uniquely benefit from these solutions: the emergency department (ED), labor and delivery (L&D) and the operating room (OR).

When selecting the right communication solutions for your organization, you may decide to pilot a new technology in a small number of units to evaluate the fit before rolling it out across the hospital. As you consider pilot departments, we’ve gathered a few tips to help you make the most of these pilots before expanding the benefits of voice-activated communication hospital wide. 

 

Piloting Voice-Activated Hospital Communication Systems: Where to Start?

While efficient clinical communication is important everywhere in the hospital, certain specialty units may be particularly likely to benefit from voice-activated technologies.

Why the Emergency Department?

Emergency departments have several unique considerations that can make them good candidates for voice-activated communication pilots.

  • High-Pressure Care: Complex cases, time constraints and workflow dynamics may hinder communications in the ED1
  • Frequent Interruptions: Physicians in the ED are three times more likely to experience interruptions than primary care clinic physicians1
  • Overburdened Teams: Common stressors in this department include staff shortages, high workloads, inexperienced staff, inadequate equipment, overcrowding and workflow interruptions2

Why Labor & Delivery?

Effective teamwork and communication are crucial to support positive outcomes in labor & delivery units.

  • Risks of Birthing Process: Effective communication is critical to help guard against risks of shoulder dystocia, obstetric hemorrhage, operative vaginal delivery, fetal monitoring escalation and fetal bradycardia — all of which are associated with the birthing process3

  • Fast-Paced Environment: During obstetric emergencies, verbal communication must be precise and concise; inefficient verbal communication has been found to be a challenge in this setting4

Why the Operating Room?

In the OR, touching devices like mobile phones can be problematic due to sterility requirements — but traditional hospital communication systems may contribute to interruptions and delays.5 

  • Risk of Errors: Communication failures are thought to have contributed to 43% of errors in the OR6

  • Infection Control: There is a statistically significant correlation between microbial load and OR personnel movement; efficient communication can help minimize unnecessary door opening, traffic and more7

  • Cumbersome PPE: OR staff members have reported a decrease in verbal communication confidence when wearing PPE8

 

Tips for Piloting Voice-Activated Clinical Communication Technology

Once you’ve selected your pilot departments, it’s time to create a project plan. As with any change management initiative, details will vary by organization. However, we have seen several themes emerge across the industry.

Training and Education for Staff

No matter where the pilot takes place, training should be a significant part of your roll-out plan. In a 2020 literature review, training was listed as healthcare professionals’ most central workflow-related concern impacting mobile health tool adoption.9

Also consider the timing of the training, and try to schedule it close to your go-live date. In another study investigating the effects of hands-free devices on healthcare organizations, participants indicated that hands-on experience that occurs shortly before live implementation may help minimize retraining needs.10 

Plan for Differences in Perception

Healthcare teams are made up of people in a wide variety of roles — each with their own priorities. When planning for any new clinician/patient communication software, it’s fair to anticipate different perceptions of new technologies and processes, and it’s important to plan for them.

Users such as nurses, physicians and anesthesia providers may have preconceived notions and perceptions that need to be addressed to facilitate adoption. Focused training for both clinical and technical personnel can help support a well-trained, collaborative workforce.11 

Connectivity and Compatibility

On the technology side, any new implementation can run the risk of compatibility issues from operating systems, legacy systems and interoperability standards. Bring your IT stakeholders into the process as early as possible, and give them a strong seat at the decision-making table. When IT and clinical stakeholders work together, you can choose a technology more likely to be successful in the short and long term.

 

What Could Hands-Free, Voice-Activated Clinical Communication Do for Your Teams?

In specialty units and across the hospital, communication is critically important. If you’re considering voice-activated communication technology to help support your teams in their most demanding moments, a strong pilot is a strong start.

Not ready for a pilot yet? It’s never too early to start learning. Take a look into the future of hands-free, voice-activated communication today, and start picturing what it could look like at your organization.

References

1. A, Soueidan H, Makki M, Tamim H, Hitti E. The use of smart devices by care providers in emergency departments: Cross-sectional survey design. JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth. 2019; 7(6): 1-11.

2. Kallberg AS, Ehrenberg A, Florin J, Ostergren J, Goransson KE. Physicians’ and nurses’ perceptions of patient safety risks in the emergency department. International Emergency Nursing. 2017; 33: 14-19.

3. Burke C, Grobman W, Deborah M. Interdisciplinary collaboration to maintain a culture of safety in a labor and delivery setting. The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 2013; 27(2): 113-123.

4. Daniels K, Hamilton C, Crowe S, Lipman SS, Halamek LP, Lee HC. Opportunities to foster efficient communication in labor and delivery using simulation. American Journal of Perinatology. 2017; 7(1): e44-e48.

5. Richardson JE, Shah-Hosseini S, Fiadjoe JE, Ash JS, Rehman MA. The effects of hands-free communication device system in a surgical suite. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2011; 18:70-72. 

6. Dunson BT, Cooper AM, Polascki BW, Wood TR, Langfitt MK, Plate JF, Rosas S. Wireless in-ear communication for total joint arthroplasty: a simulated operating room evaluation. Arthroplasty Today. 2024; 29: 101481.

7. Zeidan A, HTallat A, Edwin E, et al. Apple Siri as communication conduit during Covid-19 between inside and outside the OR. BMJ Simul Technol Enhanc Learn. 2021; 7(4): 274-275.

8. Hall, AC, Silver BH, Ellis W, Manjaly JG, Utoomprukporn N, Blancowe N, Birchall M, Patel A. The impact of personal protective equipment of speech and verbal communication in the operating room and the role of audio communication devices. Simulation in Healthcare. 2022.

9. Jacob C, Sanchez-Vazquez A, Ivory C. Social, organizational, and technological factors impacting clinicians adoption of mobile health tools: Systematic literature review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020; 8(2):e15935. doi: 10.2196/15953

10. Richardson JE, Ash JS. The effects of hands-free communication device systems: communication changes in hospital organizations. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2010; 17(1):91-98. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M3307

11. Al-Shorbaji N. Improving healthcare access through digital health: The use of information and communication technologies. In: Healthcare Access, Amit Agrawal and Srinivas Kosgi, Eds. 2022. Intech Open.

12. Carreon HF, Dutra D. Inpatient outcomes of a hands-free, wireless communication device implementation. Computers, Informatics, Nursing. 2020; 38(7): 323-328.