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5 Ways to Optimise your Nurse Call System

As demand for healthcare grows, there is an ever-increasing pressure for healthcare providers to dispense more services without compromising the quality of care delivered. Technology adoption is increasing and nurse call systems are a small, yet essential requirement for healthcare providers.

Technology budgets cannot keep pace with the rapid rate that technology advances so it is essential that your investment is maximised. Poorly implemented and maintained systems can leave your organisation at risk and affect the level of care being provided. Whether you have recently implemented a new nurse call system or you are considering implementing a complete healthcare and workflow solution, here are 5 ways you can drive efficiencies to deliver a higher ROI.

  1. Conduct a regular technology efficiency analysis. End users don’t always use technology as it is intended. It could be that your clinicians are new and didn’t receive proper training or perhaps workarounds have been put in place because users have forgotten how to use certain features of the technology. Regular analysis will help to ensure that your healthcare and workflow solutions are being used efficiently and effectively. Identifying opportunities to deliver enhancements can help you to increase longevity and performance while also improving the delivery of health services. We recommend conducting a review every 18 months as a minimum – you should consider the current practices, processes and workflows that are in place surrounding your technology to ensure that usage is as efficient as possible.
  2. Perform a regular technology upgrade analysis. Expanding the features of your current solution will extend your technology lifecycle without a full system overhaul. Ensuring that your technology is optimised through regular updates and releases delivers the latest enhancements and addresses any bugs. Incrementally integrating new proven technologies with your existing solution can result in productivity gains through process improvements, at a fraction of the cost of a full upgrade. The complexity of your technology and the size and number of sites being managed will affect how frequently you conduct a full technology analysis. As a minimum, we recommend conducting a review every 18 months to ensure that your technology stays current.
  3. Introduce role based, recurring training. End-users usually receive a brief demonstration of basic functions at the point of system handover. To learn any additional functionality, end-users need to refer to the manuals. As a result, it’s rare that the full advantages of technology are realised. Regular role-based training goes a long way to helping improve staff satisfaction by ensuring that end-users understand the features that will save them time, allowing more opportunities to provide better care. Improved, ongoing training will also ensure that efficiencies from effectively using technology can be realised.
  4. Consider a fixed support and maintenance agreement. Fixed support and maintenance costs over a specified number of years mean there are no unexpected surprises when managing your budget. An agreed set of KPIs ensures a high service standard in nominated response times is achieved. Having a maintenance agreement in place also ensures priority response is given in an emergency.
  5. Select the right integration partner. When evaluating potential solutions and their providers, are you basing your choice purely on the cost of acquisition? Understanding the anticipated cost over the life cycle of the technology should be factored into your evaluation, if it isn’t already, to ensure that you deliver ROI for the entire time you intend to use the solution. To ensure you get the best solution possible, you should also request that suppliers provide you with an optimised design, recommending the most efficient and cost-effective solution, and clearly articulating the expected benefits and the reasoning behind their choices.

If more than 2 years have passed since you implemented your nurse call solution, contact Acetek on 02 8748 9000 to discuss how to get the best from your current technology.

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