Dubai: Latifa Hospital introduced a smart communication system, Vocera, that helps call out to doctors and nurses on duty at the touch of a button, thus saving response time and money.
Unveiling the new system, Amany Al Jasmi, Director of IT at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said: “Vocera, introduced for the first time, is a compact card device that hospital staff on duty can wear around their neck. It has a broadcast button and keeps track of doctors and nurses on duty for that shift.
“[Usually], the staff wastes precious time calling on mobiles or through the operator. Now, with the press of the button, a doctor can broadcast a message to one or many. If the head of a department is not available, the message automatically goes to the next person in command.”
Budoor Bu Hannad, head of IT Operations at DHA, added: “The device can be integrated with the Health Informatics System (HIS) already in use in the DHA. It can cut back response time, alert an entire team of anaesthesiologists, surgeons and nurses in case of an emergency and also send all blood, X-ray and pathology report to the doctor concerned. In the second phase, Vocera will be connected to smartphones so that doctors outside the hospital’s perimeter can also communicate.”
Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital, added: “Since the system records all conversation, it becomes easy to trace back the first response and the sequence in the treatment of any particular patient if we wish to review the treatment.”