Integrated In-Hospital Patient Communication System for Real-Time Assistance

Current call bell systems in hospitals are often ineffective, outdated, and not user-friendly. Approximately 19% of patients find these systems inaccessible or difficult to operate, leading to delays in assistance during emergencies, particularly for patients with limited mobility. This hampers timely patient care and can have life-threatening implications, highlighting the need for a more reliable, inclusive communication system within hospital settings.

A mid to large-sized healthcare facility seeking to enhance patient-caregiver communication efficiency and inclusivity through digital solutions.

• Develop a comprehensive digital platform enabling in-hospital patients to request assistance in real-time, reducing reliance on traditional call bell systems.
• Implement multi-channel request methods including manual selection, voice commands, and head gesture controls to ensure accessibility for all patient mobility levels.
• Design and integrate a multi-stakeholder communication workflow to streamline request prioritization, tracking, and response times.
• Achieve measurable improvements in response times, targeting at least a 60% reduction in nurses' response delay.
• Ensure scalability across multiple hospital facilities and inclusion of customizable request options tailored to individual patient needs.
• Secure high adoption and positive recognition, aiming for significant enhancement of patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.

• Patient-facing interface with customizable request options (e.g., basic needs, emergency alerts)
• Alternative input modalities: voice command recognition supporting multiple languages and accents, and head gesture sensing adaptable to different age groups and mobility levels.
• Multi-nurse assignment system with request forwarding, fallback to broadcast to all assigned nurses, and escalation protocols.
• Real-time request status tracking dashboard for staff, including response times and request completion metrics.
• Administrative web panel for hospital staff to monitor, manage, and record patient requests and workflow efficiency.
• Child mode with special emergency alerts utilizing beacon technology for pediatric patients.
• Integration of request data with hospital information systems for seamless workflow management.

• Hospital information systems (HIS) for patient data and request synchronization
• Notification systems for urgent alerts
• Beacon technology for child emergency alerting
• User authentication modules for secure access

• System responsiveness with request acknowledgment within 2 seconds
• High availability with 99.9% uptime to ensure continuous patient support
• Data security compliant with healthcare regulations (e.g., HIPAA)
• Scalability to support deployment across multiple hospital branches
• Inclusive design ensuring accessibility for patients with various physical and cognitive abilities

The deployment of this integrated patient communication system is expected to significantly reduce nurses’ response times by at least 60%, enhance patient satisfaction through more accessible and timely assistance, and improve overall operational efficiency. Additionally, the solution aims to support inclusive accessibility, foster better patient-staff interactions, and facilitate compliance with healthcare standards, paving the way for broader adoption in healthcare facilities.