“Just Hit the Red Button!”

Why are most hospitals still using patient to staff communication methods that were not even considered hi-tech in the 1970’s??

If you need ‘anything’ - “Hit the Red Button”?

During a recent ER visit and hospital admission with my father-in-law, I realized how antiquated the communications systems between patients and staff are in most facilities.? Almost everyone now carries a cell phone, most are smart phones, that provide us with countless ways to communicate.? From texting, to messenger apps, to social media posting, patients have an endless array of ways to communicate with family, friends and caregivers outside of the hospital.? Yet as soon as you enter a room in the ER or are admitted to an in-patient room the only means of communication with the people you are relying on most in your time of need is the “Red Button”?

“I don’t want to bother anyone”?

Once we were admitted to a room, my FIL kept asking me for things (water, blanket, etc) and when I told him to hit the Red Button or I could get the nurse he would say no “I don’t want to bother anyone”.? So now in addition to the stress of being in the hospital he was also cold and thirsty and getting more irritable, because he didn’t want to bother anyone.? As our time there progressed he finally did start to use the Red Button for one reason or another and I was surprised to see that each time his RN would come check on him for things that did not require an RN.? When I witnessed this inefficiency I realized that it was not the staff's fault, they just had no idea what the request was so by default an RN answered the buzz with no information, which I am sure significantly decreased their productivity in providing clinical care to patients.??

What if that “Red Button” could actually signal the right staff member for specific requests - An aid to provide water and a blanket, or the nurse when his pain level increased??

‘Crying Wolf’ syndrome?

So my FIL, no longer concerned about bothering anyone, started to use the Red Button more freely, sometimes rightfully so - needed to use the restroom, pain was increasing, but there was also times when he just wanted to know what was going on (which typically made me the Red Button).? When the Red Button was not responded to, he would send me to disrupt the nurses who were typically attending to other patients or diligently attempting to complete their charting.? From being around hospitals most of my career, I knew this was decreasing their productivity and frankly just frustrating for them, but we had no other way of communicating so we “Just hit the Red Button” to stay updated on progress and inform his 5 children on his status.?

After a few non-clinical Red Button clicks, I noticed longer, and longer response times and realized we hit the ‘crying wolf’ stage due to being given only 1 form of communication.? Somewhat understandable, but what if I was not there to assist.? I am certain my FIL would have been searching for his prosthetic and walker, becoming a fall risk, in an attempt to get his request answered.?

What if the “Red Button” actually provided information, FAQ’s, and could automatically inform patients and family on their status??

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Status on my FIL: You will be happy to know that we found my FIL an amazing LTC-VA facility where he is getting the care he needs (Yes, they have a Red Button).??

Status on me: While all of this was happening I was seeking to change jobs and was casually searching LinkedIn for my next opportunity.? I found a company, Vitaler.com, that not only replaces the ‘Red Button’ with an #AI driven #Px to ensure the alert is received by the right level of staff and clinicians are working at the top of their licenses (#CareAssist), but most importantly is improving #patientsatisfaction and #cliniciansatisfaction scores.?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that ERAdvisor was only one of their many solutions that help to guide patients through the entire hospital experience (#CareAdvisor), that includes a Doctor-Patient Jargon translator that uses #NLP - #NaturalLanguageProcessing, and a seamless process for scheduling follow up visits with in-network providers (#AccessAdvisor).

I applied for the Business Development Director role and will be starting on Monday August 7th with the goal of helping hospitals replace the ineffective “Red Button” and improve the efficiency and satisfaction in their #EmergencyRooms.