Nurse Tracking Devices: Whats Your Opinion?

ALISHAJO,
B/c the unit clerk can call me wherever I am and tell me what the pt wants (pain/nausea meds, bathrm needs, nutrition, beeping IV, chemo spill, etc....). Plus if your in the middle of a very busy task that you cannot step away from you can tell the unit clerk and she with either send an aide, another nurse, or ask the pt if they can wait. At my old hospital we used a beeper system where I had to report to the nurses station to find out who called me - this was very time consuming.
Addressing some of the posters concerns:
I understand all of your apprehensions, but the bottom line is (just my personal opinion)... if your do your job as you should (if needed you can get this info from your job description)), no one should have a thing to worry about.
No one has been penalized on my floor /c this system.
Our system registers us within a minute of beeing in the pt's room.

At the hospital I work at we have been using this type of system for over 3 years. At first, we hated it for various reasons, but mostly we felt we couldn't take a bathroom break without someone knowing where we were. We now have an even more powerful system that allows pts to "ring out" and ask for icecream, soda's etc and it goes directly to dietary where the diet techs bring it to them. Requests for medications go right to the nurse and bedpans etc go to the techs first. If they are tied up, then we get a reminder page and can take care of the pts needs. I just love it. And if the techs are fooling around, then they should be traced to see which ones are the problem. And we ALL know about that situation. When Docs or family call, the right person gets the page. It's great for night shift, then you aren't disturbing pts when it is called overhead. Give it a chance, you just might like it. I know I do. Time spent running here and there for things, when you are in the middle of a huge med pass, really helps save time.

Interesting concept--could we use it to prove that we never get to take breaks and/or meals? Seems to me if it can be used to "catch" those who goof off, it should also be used to negotiate additional staff. Anybody who has this system ever use it for that?

HHMMM now that IS a very interesting concept. Maybe I just might mention that to my manager. That may be an eye opener for her

While I can appreciate the frustration encountered while trying to find a coworker or CNA to peform some duty, I feel this is not the way. A tracker sounds degrading to me. It also sounds like an invasion of privacy. I like the idea of mobile phones much better, they serve the purpose of furthering patient care without insulting the nurse or her dignity.

When my husband was a pt recently the nurses at the facility he was in carried phones. I found it very distracting to have that phone going off several times when she was going over post op instructions, doing drsg changes etc. He said it went off 5 times that morning when she was doing his assessment. What about when you just want to go in and check an iv of hang a piggy back and the pt is finally getting some much needed sleep? talk about a rude awakening!! I did not ask her if the phone had a vibrator option, sure hope so!/