Skip to content

By Steph Lavallee, Corporate Marketing manager

Two Nurses using their SpectraLink phonesLast month, we shared part 1 in our “Leveraging the Power of Human Voice” series with you. This month, we focus on the importance of that voice connection in healthcare settings.

In an age when people are relying more and more on written communication – from emails to text messages to communicating via social media – there are still critical situations, such as in healthcare environments, when speaking with someone and that personal connection is crucial. Making sure the information you need to communicate for a patient’s care is often best done in a conversation where nuances in care can be discussed.  And, while getting emotionally attached to patients is not always recommended, having a personal connection to the patient by discussing their care takes that patient from a number in an electronic health record to an actual human being requiring compassion.

Additionally, because errors can still occur when data is entered by hand, a voice discussion can reduce errors and help to ensure that orders for care are being communicated correctly.   In a healthcare environment, voice communication is a key component of the job, and ultimately leads to an improved patient experience and better health outcomes for the patients.

Because patient healthcare is delivered by so many different teams that can include dozens of healthcare professionals interacting with one patient during their stay, communication is key to a positive patient experience. According to a hipaajournal.com article “Communication Between Doctors and Nurses,”

When there is poor communication between care teams, it could mean a slower recovery for patients. And, more critically, a miscommunication or failure to communicate all together could lead to dire consequences for the patient.

In fact, according to The Joint Commission (TJC), almost 60% of medical errors are the direct result of a breakdown in communication between care providers.  And, a 2015 study1 from CRICO Strategies for Harvard Medical Institute, “Malpractice Risks in Communication Failures,” of almost 24,000 malpractice cases showed that about 7,150 cases totaling $1.78B in incurred losses were a result of failures in communication.

So, what does this mean ultimately, and how can Spectralink help?

Well, according to hipaajournal.com, “there is a growing body of evidence linking better collaboration and communication between doctors and nurses to faster patient throughput, shorter hospital stays, increased patient satisfaction, fewer adverse events, and improved patient outcomes.” And, while in-person, face-to-face conversations might be the ideal way to communicate, this is often not possible in a fast-paced healthcare environment where clinicians are on the move, caring for multiple patients at one time throughout a healthcare facility. Having to track down care team members in person for discussions can waste valuable moments that could be better spent at the bedside.

Our Spectralink Versity family of enterprise-grade smartphones equipped with our leading, proprietary Voice Quality Optimization (VQO) can help.

Here are some examples:

  • When a nurse directly caring for a patient has a Versity 95 smartphone in hand, and so do the attending physicians in the hospital, the nurse can directly call the physician to report on a patient’s status and ask any clarifying questions without needing to leave the patient’s bedside. Because of Spectralink’s crystal-clear voice quality and no fear of dropped or poor-quality calls, the nurse can reach the doctor promptly, and can clearly discuss the best course of action for caring for the patient. And the nurse can then use that same Versity 95 device to access the patient’s EHR to safely chart any orders or information while it is fresh in mind, without having to find a computer to do so.
  • In a long-term care environment, when a nurse carrying our Versity 92 Series smartphone needs to discuss a course of rehabilitation with a PT who also has a Versity 92 in hand. PTs are often rotating through many floors of a care facility, so connecting clearly through our Versity 92 smartphones no matter where each care provider might be saves valuable time trying to track each other down in person and provides faster patient care.
  • If a patient’s bed is signaling an alarm or alert, through our application integration on the medical devices and monitoring systems hooked up to the patient as well as our leading voice quality, the nurse can check in with the patient wherever they may be in the hospital to assess the situation. This personal connection through voice to the patient assures the patient they are being well cared for, and in turn, the nurse is also able to get more information directly from the patient than an alarm or alert can typically provide.

Spectralink has been leading the way in healthcare mobility solutions for over three decades. Our purpose-built solutions with leading voice quality in the hands of your clinicians empowers them with confidence and solutions to communicate and collaborate for better patient care no matter where they might be in the facility. For more information on our healthcare solutions, visit https://www.spectralink.com/workforce-solutions/healthcare/.

 

About the author:

Steph Lavallee is Spectralink’s Corporate Marketing Manager in North America. With years of communications and engagement experience, she brings creative writing expertise, social media experience, and valuable insights to market Spectralink’s world-class portfolio of enterprise mobility solutions.

Connect with Steph on LinkedIn!