Nurse tracking devices

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

How do you guys feel about wearing tracking devices on your person? Your location displays on a computer screen where you are at inside the hospital at all times.

Thanks

Specializes in Emergency Room.

Our ED uses them. They have saved our butts a few times when a pt was complaining and said "I haven't seen anyone in here for HOURS!" We were able to get into the system and prove that a nurse had been in there less than an half hour before. Our management swears up and down there aren't sensors in the pottie, or in the break room.

My biggest issue with them is that they are constantly triggering a "staff emergency" in weird areas - placed that no nurses/techs/docs are. So we've all gotten so used to hearing the emergency bell overhead that if someone really does push it as an emergency (there is a button on it to trigger during an emergency situation), people probably wouldn't react to it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg; Psych; Tele.

Is there any other profession that does this??? I find it insulting personally. Several staff members at the hospital where I work wear one. I've only worked there a little less than a year and they must have forgotten to issue one to me. My feelings are not hurt!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Intensive Care and Cardiology.

I worked at a place that had a little thing that you attached to your badge. It would only track what room you were in. When you went into the room a little light besides the call light would light up so you knew a nurse was in the room. It was really handy when trying to find a coworker for some help, because you could just walk to the room with the light on. Does this make sense? Did I explain this without confusing?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.
Is there any other profession that does this??? I find it insulting personally. Several staff members at the hospital where I work wear one. I've only worked there a little less than a year and they must have forgotten to issue one to me. My feelings are not hurt!!

Clunky things that interfer with nursing care...end up in poop when helping cna's clean total care pts...tangle with the stethoscope...

Jacho's coming to my big H and lo and behold they're handing these things out like they haven't gone out of style already?!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D.

We wear tracking devices in our hospital, but they're unit specific. So, when I go to the cafeteria or to another floor I'm not trackable anymore. When I was hired, it was explained to me that they're used to aid in staff communication. Our location comes up on a central computer, and you can also search for staff on a wall device in each room. We can then pick who we want to call. It's made it a lot easier to talk to others on our large unit. We're not tracked in the bathroom, and as far as I know it's never been used against anyone. I like them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics.

We use these devices on my unit (peds) as well. I like them--If a nurse walks into a room, any call light automatically goes off, and a green light goes on outside the room indicating a nurse is inside. If you really need a staff member, you can look at the computer to find where they are. They are not used to track our time in bathrooms, etc., and are unit specific so they do not track our time elsewhere in the hospital. I've never heard another staff member complain about them. If you're worried about the manager finding out what you are doing or where you're spending your time, then don't do things you shouldn't do or waste time where you shouldn't be.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have them on our floor. I like them. It's easier to find another nurse than calling her on the overhead pager.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"slacker trackers"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surge, Private Duty Peds.

we also wear locator badges where i work. they allow the unit secretary to locate where a nurse is as well as our cna's. they only work on the floor that we are assigned to. they do not track us when we leave the floor or go to the bathroom.

it has it pros and cons, it actually saved one nurse's but. had a pt code and the family said that no one had been in the room for over 4 hours, wrong, it showed that 10 minutes before the pt coded, the nurse had been in that room for over 15 minutes. she had left out to go get a new bag of iv fluids and was on her way back to the room when a family member yells help she's not breathing. if that nurse had not had her locator on, all kinds of things would have been sent to risk management. but thanks to hte locator, it proved that the nurse had been in that room more than 6x in less than 2 hours, not four like the family said.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have in our OB unit and I like it because when we hit the emergency button for things like bradys, cord prolapse or nurse deliveries it's rings in all our rooms and you get immediate help. It really comes in handy and it has been a great service many a time.

I should also add that ours do not track how long we are in the pt room/break room or how many times we are in the BR, it is strictly to locate and signal nurses when there is a problem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry, Nursery, Post-Partum.
We have in our OB unit and I like it because when we hit the emergency button for things like bradys, cord prolapse or nurse deliveries it's rings in all our rooms and you get immediate help. It really comes in handy and it has been a great service many a time.

I should also add that ours do not track how long we are in the pt room/break room or how many times we are in the BR, it is strictly to locate and signal nurses when there is a problem.

That sounds like a good way to use such a thing, but in our hospital (at least every unit but the nursery and nicu) every nurse, tech and secretary carries a phone, so we can just call people if we need them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I'm glad to learn that these things have an up side to them. Before I left my hospital job awhile back, management was toying with the idea of tracking devices (a few months later, there was a story in the local paper about how they went through with it). At the time they sent up the trial balloon, though, we protested---and vigorously! I myself said I would never wear such a device.........it would be too humiliating, you might as well fit me with a collar and call me Fido. I hated the idea that management could check and see when we went to the bathroom or took a break.

It never occurred to me that such a contraption could save my backside if a patient or family claimed I hadn't been in the room in x-number of hours.........where can I get some for MY staff?:chuckle

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment