Cutting edge technology is now increasing the efficiency of nurses at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. Nurses and other point of care workers are now able to receive all of their voice, alarm, and text messages on their iPhones, thanks to Voalté’s first-of-its-kind healthcare application.
Voalté (nomenclature derived from Voice, Alarm, Text) consolidates all three functions on the versatile iPhone platform. The application enables users to send and receive text messages, make voice calls, and receive critical care alarms on the iPhone, providing faster response to patient needs
“Our nurses were carrying hospital provided pagers, wireless phones, separate pagers designed to alert them of critical patient alarms….there were too many bells and beeps requiring attention, not to mention their pockets were literally overflowing with electronic devices,” said Ron Rutherford RN, Huntington’s director of informatics
Enter Trey Lauderdale, who, when working for Emergin, the industry leader in alarm management/automated event notification solutions for healthcare facilities, witnessed firsthand the plight of busy nurses. He observed the nurses answering phones, pagers and call lights, and realized the need for an integrated communication solution.
Lauderdale’s vision became a reality when he and his partners formed Voalté, a company focused on developing software solutions for the healthcare industry. The Voalté One system provides voice, alarm and text services all on one device. Developed for Apple’s iPhone, Voalté is designed to be a unified communication solution, combining phone calls across the hospital PBX, text messaging via a visual user directory and user-friendly alarm management. With Voalté, caregivers can receive and respond to alarms dispatched by over 200 hospital systems and devices – optimizing workflow and improving patient satisfaction and safety.
Though Huntington is the first hospital on the West Coast to install the Voalté One, it was initially piloted at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida. The test run elicited immediate and direct feedback from nurses who worked closely with the Voalté team, confirming how easily staff adapted to using the Voalté iPhones.
The nurses lauded the noise-reduction factor along with the convenience of carrying one device rather than several. Texting another nurse was noted to be much easier than roaming from room to room or having them paged overhead, and they found that is was far less disrupting to the patients they cared for.
At Huntington Voalté received similar praise. “We were all very impressed with how the Voalté phones improved communication on our unit,” said Eunie Lee, RN. “With voice capability, prioritized alarm alerts, and text messages all available on one device, it has streamlined and simplified communication between staff members. Voalté allows us to focus on nursing care with fewer interruptions. It has been a great asset to our unit.”
“The bottom line is that anything that relieves nurses of non-clinical duties frees them up for bedside care. The decision to bring Voalté One to our nursing staff not only underscores Huntington’s dedication to quality patient care, but also its reputation as an early adopter when it comes to breakthrough technology,” said Rutherford.
