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To Transform Clinical Communications, the Bold Path Forward is the Only Path Forward

By Donny Patel, President of Digital Solutions & Technical Services, Baxter

A hospital physician looks confidently into the camera with a patient in the background

In all parts of life, change often happens slowly. However, moments arise when incremental changes are no longer enough to meet the challenges before us. In these moments, we need more than progress — we need transformation. 

We have arrived at such a moment in clinical communication.

From the Hospital’s Nurse Station to the Bedside and Beyond, Communication is Everything

High-quality patient care requires effective, efficient and reliable communication among healthcare staff members.1 Ineffective communication may result in impaired healthcare quality, increased costs and negative patient outcomes.2

I’ve yet to meet a healthcare professional in any role who doesn’t understand these truths — and yet I’ve met far too many who are forced to rely on manual or antiquated hospital communication systems during key moments of care. The resulting delays and frustration they experience are avoidable, but only if we, as an industry, agree it’s time to move beyond incremental improvements, and commit to transforming the way healthcare professionals communicate.

The challenges with the status quo are numerous:

Pagers Struggle to Keep Pace With Modern Healthcare

As recently as 2017, a study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that nearly 80% of hospitals still use pagers.3 Pagers can serve to request attention, but they don’t support immediate, efficient responses and specific two-way communication. Clinical communication often requires specificity and time-sensitive responses — and delays can affect patient care.4 Time spent waiting for a call back or tracking someone down is time today’s nurses and physicians cannot afford to lose.

Sterility and Infection Control Protocols Can Present Unique Challenges

Cross-contamination risks are prevalent in specialty areas.5 While smartphones and other device-based clinician/patient communication software solutions can be excellent fits in many departments, they aren’t always feasible in units with more stringent infection control protocols.

 

The Reality Is: Inadequate Communication May Put Patients at Risk

This isn’t new information. According to the Joint Commission, 60% of sentinel events are rooted in communication failures.1 And according to the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, communication failures in United States hospitals and medical practices were responsible, at least in part, for 30% of all malpractice claims, resulting in 1,744 deaths and $1.7 billion in malpractice costs over five years.1

Mobile Communications Have Come a Long Way

Many hospitals have already begun moving away from traditional patient & nurse communication systems, at least in part. Secure text messaging, digital white boards, EHR integrations and more can help teams share information quickly and support efficient workflows. Of course, no single strategy can solve for every scenario, and there is still work to be done — especially for high-risk, high-activity areas like the Emergency Department, Labor & Delivery and the Operating Room.

Clinicians Need a Hand, and It’s Time to Give Them One

In the most demanding moments of care, a free hand isn’t always possible. In these scenarios, voice-activated communication is emerging as a powerful option to help care teams communicate when every second counts.

The time for small steps and incremental improvements is past. Now is the time for bold action. Take a peek into the future of hands-free, voice-activated clinical communication, then reach out when you’re ready to join us in this transformation.

Explore Voice-Activated Communication 

References

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

2. Ratna H. The importance of effective communication in healthcare practice. Harvard Public Health Review. 2019; 23: 1-6.

3. O'Leary KJ, Liebovitz DM, Wu RC, Ravi K, Knoten CA, Sun M, Walker AM, Reddy MC. Hospital-Based Clinicians' Use of Technology for Patient Care-Related Communication: A National Survey. J Hosp Med. 2017 Jul;12(7):530-535. doi: 10.12788/jhm.2767. PMID: 28699941.

4. Cooney HJ, Banbury HE, Plunkett AC. Impact of a hands-free wireless communication device on communication and clinical outcomes in a pediatric intensive care. Pediatric Quality and Safety. 2018; 2(3):1-5.

5. Di Mario S, Dionisi S, Di Simone E, Liquori G, Cianfrocca C, Di Muzio M, Giannetta N. Infections and smartphone use in nursing practice: A systematic review. Florence Nightengale J Nurs. 2022; 30(2): 209-216.