Nurse call on smartphones
Nurse call app for care homes: replacing pagers and DECT handsets
A nurse call app puts the call on a smartphone instead of a pager or a DECT handset. What does that change for your care staff, what do you need and what should you arrange beforehand?
Updated
Pager, DECT handset or nurse call app: the difference
| Pager | DECT handset | Smartphone with app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the carer sees | That there is a call, sometimes with a room number | A line of text or a call | Location, room, alarm type and name of the resident |
| Who receives the alert | Often everyone with a pager | A set group of handsets | The care staff who are monitoring that unit |
| Clearing the alarm | Usually in the room or at the nurses’ station | On the handset or in the room | In the app, with one tap; colleagues see it straight away |
| What is recorded | Often limited | Depends on the central unit | Every alarm in a log, with times |
| Extra device | Yes | Yes | No, if the carer already carries a smartphone |
A pager tells you that something is happening somewhere. An alert on the smartphone also tells you what, where and with which resident. That saves walking and checking with colleagues.
What changes for the carer?
- One device. The call arrives on the smartphone, which can also be used for other applications.
- The alert says what is happening. Before setting off, the carer knows whether it is a call, a resident out of bed or an open door.
- Clearing with one tap. Everyone on the unit sees who has picked up the alarm. No two colleagues walking to the same room.
- Choosing what to monitor. At the start of the shift the carer chooses the location or unit. This can be changed later from the home screen, without logging in again.
What do you need?
- Android smartphones. The Daza Connect app is on Google Play. A shared phone from the organisation or a personal phone: both work.
- Internet on the phone. Over the Wi-Fi in the building or over mobile data.
- Notifications switched on. The phone must show and sound the notifications from the app, even when the screen is off.
- Clear arrangements. Who covers which unit on the rota, who is the back-up, and where the phones are charged.
The app is one part of the system. The calls come from the wireless Daza sensors, through a gateway in the building. The page about a nurse call system for care homes explains how the parts fit together. There is more about the app itself on the home page.
What if a carer misses the alert?
If an alarm is not cleared, Daza Connect repeats the alert. If there is still no response, the alarm escalates according to your organisation’s settings, for example to a colleague who is on call as back-up. In the web portal you can see afterwards how long each alarm was open.
Personal phone or a phone from the organisation?
Both are possible. Points to think about:
- Security. An alert contains the name of a resident. So a screen lock on the phone is needed.
- Availability. With shared phones, a charged handset is ready for every shift.
- Work and private life. A carer only receives alerts while logged in and monitoring a unit. Logging out after the shift means no more alerts.
Replacing pagers in a care home: how to go about it
- Map out which calls there are now and who receives them.
- Choose one unit to start with.
- Arrange the phones and check the Wi-Fi on that unit.
- Set up the unit, the rooms and the sensors in the web portal.
- Let care staff work one shift with the app. They will have mastered it within that shift.
- After a few weeks, look at the reports: how quickly do staff respond and where do most calls come from?
If you then switch over completely, read the page about replacing a nurse call system as well.