Today we might be familiar with wireless call buttons, phones and pagers in hospital settings, but the history of nurse call systems vastly predates digital solutions. In fact, the original nursing care systems were in place for a good century, with a fantastic history that has passed through generations.
What Is the Purpose of a Nurse Call System?
Whether a nurse used a handbell a hundred years ago or wireless call buttons today, the system is designed for the same purpose: for patients to quickly call nurses to their sides. At the same time, these solutions allow nursing professionals to contact each other quickly across the entire care environment to deliver effective, rapid and high-quality care when it’s needed most. These types of nurse call systems can be vital in an emergency, for example.
Who Invented the Early Nurse Call Systems?
Florence Nightingale created the first nurse call system in the 1850s during the Crimean War. The solution was simply a pull cord or handbell at the patient’s bedside, which worked extremely effectively, despite being a basic solution. This basic approach was used for decades.
How Have Nurse Call Systems Evolved?
Over the years, systems evolved to meet new technologies, transforming from ‘bell and call ‘ solutions to integrated monitoring, call and reporting networks. Today, wireless call buttons from providers such as dinggly.com/products/wireless-call-buttons/ offer the benefits of digital access and cloud deployment and can work in even the busiest and largest hospitals.
The Future of Nurse Call Systems
In larger hospitals particularly, nurse call systems are becoming far more sophisticated and embedded into larger patient communication and team response systems, allowing patients to get help rapidly when they need it and allowing large nursing and care teams to operate as effectively as possible.
Cloud-deployed solutions are helping hospitals operate more effectively, but interestingly, wireless call buttons and pagers still remain popular because many large hospital buildings have poor internet signals. So even in a high-tech world, the more basic solutions still have a hugely valuable role to play.
