We believe that it is important for any organization, regardless of industry, to have an emergency preparedness plan in place. For healthcare facilities and hospitals in particular, leveraging emergency notification systems as part of their plan is downright critical. Check out the top reasons why leaders in the healthcare industry are implementing emergency notification systems in their facilities.
Protecting Patients, Visitors and Staff
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the healthcare industry remains one of the highest-ranking industries for workplace violence incidents. Emergency notification systems can assist in broadcasting emergency critical and urgent messages and trigger additional responses through lockdown procedures. With hospital multi-line telephone systems (MLTS), emergency notification systems can assist in automatically contacting emergency personnel including law enforcement to an emergency with exact dispatchable locations to better protect staff, visitors and patients.
Real-time Notifications
Providing excellent healthcare requires a lot of communication to ensure that patients receive the care and treatment that is accurate for them. From physicians to nurses, all members of the staff need to communicate with each other in the event of a medical emergency. Emergency notification systems can send alerts to smart devices, phone and alarm systems and overhead PA systems when applicable. In a similar lane, these systems can alert staff to emergencies outside of their hospitals. This can include incoming mass casualty incidents and other potential increases in patient count that includes GPS tracking. This gives them time to prepare their emergency rooms, identify adequate triage supplies and contact key personnel in order to provide more efficient care.
Customizable Notification Protocols
While emergency notification solutions allow for broadcasting a message throughout an entire building or floor, there are times when that will not be the appropriate action. Some emergency notification messages should be kept out of visitor areas, waiting rooms and other sensitive areas that could cause unnecessary anxiety and stress for individuals. During critical procedures, for example, emergency codes may need to go out, but it would be a best practice to avoid this message being broadcasted where a patient’s family and friends are waiting. Thankfully, notifications can be customized in the system setup with the appropriate protocol pre-determined based on specific emergency types.
Mass communication systems that incorporate emergency notification solutions are a lifeline for the healthcare industry, as they need to keep up with a fast-paced and quickly changing environment. Being able to get critical messages out quickly can make all the difference in the safety of others and providing superior care to those in need. To learn more about how we can help you build an emergency notification system from the ground up or integrate one into an existing communication platform, contact us today.
