Designer looking for ways to better assist Nurses

[Hyotoko]

Dear Nurses, first of all thank you for all you do. I served in the US navy in addition to my everyday job I served as a stretcher bearer, during which time I got a small glimpse of how hard and demanding being a nurse can be.

Since my military days I have become a product designer, and so when the opportunity came about to design an object for the medical industry I am eager to try and improve the everyday hardships that nurses are faced with today.

I am most curious about your pager systems or how you are contacted for emergencies?

Are you using your own phones or are they provided for you?

Do you use your phone when working to help you in your job? IE. Research, Music, Photo, Emailing

I think in the end I want to design a product that can help nurses who do home visits, but am just curious to better understand some of the issues that you all face in hopes of making your day little less stressful.

Once again thank you for all you do wish you all the best.

[beekee]

Personal phones are not allowed on the floor. I would never use my personal phone to transmit any information about a patient or to take a photo of a patient.

[mtmkjr, BSN]

We use Voalte phones.

Hospital only uses personal phones for text messages related to emergency alerts, staffing needs etc. (if that is how you choose to get notifications.)

[Hyotoko]

Thank you mtmkjr,

Is there any other features you wish your current phone had that could better assist you in your job, or equipment to enhance your personal device?

[Hyotoko]

Thank you BeeKee for the information, as I understand the importance of privacy is crucial in all your work. If the hospital was to provide you a device that could only communicate with fellow staffing or medical areas would that be something could help you? What types of things would you want it to do if you had such an object?

[marienm, RN, CCRN]

I work night shift at a teaching hospital. There are typically a few residents (maybe 20, total, excluding the emergency room?) covering a hospital of 500 beds. We get in touch with them by sending messages to their pagers. (these look like the pagers from the 1990s, complete with belt-clip and running on a AA battery.) We can send messages via phone (ie: just keying in the phone number we want them to call back to) or we can send messages via a webpage. However, there is no way for the resident to reply to a message other than calling us back! Sometimes I send them a question like "Do you want a morning CBC on Mrs. Jones?" If the *do* want a CBC, they place the order...so in this case, I know they got the message and no further action is needed. But if they *don't* want a CBC, they have to call the nurse's station (and one of us has to run to answer the phone), when all I really want is for them to be able to reply, "no, she doesn't need one, thanks!" If they don't call *and* they don't place an order, I'm left wondering whether they saw the message and took no action or if they haven't seen it yet.

What I want: A secure messaging system that can be accessed via a webpage (at the nurse's station) and be received by the doctor's mobile device which is capable of sending a reply text message. The doctor's reply could be read on...the webpage (like a message thread)? a unit-based "inbox" device that sits at the nurse's station? A Vocera? [That would be pretty awesome--the doctor could type their reply and a text-to-voice system could send a voice message to my Vocera.] I don't want the nurse to have to carry a device around unless it was a device they already carry around anyway.

Re: your poll, my phone stays in my bag unless I'm on break. I would never take photos on my phone of a patient--nurses at my hospital have been fired for exactly that, no matter how "necessary" the reasoning might have seemed to them at the time. I use the system above to contact residents & attending doctors. (I am friends with some of them on social media, but would never use these channels while at work and certainly not for patient care. I also don't have--or want--their personal cell phone numbers.) Our workstations have access to the clinical references I need. I do get a lot of workplace-related email, but almost none of it is time-sensitive or relevant *during* my patient-care shift. I check this on my own time, typically, but if it's a slow night I'll log in to my email at work.

[Hyotoko]

Thank you Marienm,

There is a lot to digest here and I will do my best to understand it all. Thank you for breaking down some of the issues your faced with that's usually where the best designs come from. I was thinking would an Alexa like system for patients be more or less effective than push button to call nurses. I'm wondering if there is a way to transmit the patients request to nurse station.

[ORoxyO]

We use hospital issued phones at work. We always say it'd be amazing if we could text on them. It's hard to always stop what you're doing to answer the phone. And, I think it's rude.

[marienm, RN, CCRN]

Some of our patients can't speak due to tracheostomies or other conditions, so an Alexa-like option couldn't completely replace a push-button call light. We can actually talk to our patients from the master call light console at the desk, though I usually just walk to the door. I believe in some hospitals the nurses carry phones that the patients can call them on directly, but I haven't used this system. (I think it would be terrible to answer your phone in Mrs. Jones' room to hear Mr. Smith say he needs help with the urinal!)

[Hyotoko]

Thank you ORoxyO, if I may be so persistent the phones that are issued by the hospital are they smartphones? One of the suggestions I am presenting to my boss is creating a phone specifically designed around only nurses needs. So thank you for sharing.

[Hyotoko]

Marienm thank you again for your advice. I read recent study that men typically only use Siri/ or AI devices when either driving or at home. I bring this up because I think it shows still how uncomfortable we are with this tech. And let's face it nothing can replace the warmth and care of a good old face to face when your struggling. Just out of curiosity are you able to read patients vitals from a central nursing station? I'm trying to figure out how to minimize the amount of time nurses are on the feet while ensuring patients get the attention they deserve.

[Hyotoko]

Dear Nurses,

Thank you all so very much for your feedback and honesty. My project research findings are due November 29th, so by then I hope to have a few renderings of product designs that I intend to submit for proposal. I will definitely write back to share how that all turns out, but more importantly thank you all again for your time. I know most of you don't work a typical 9-5 Monday thru Friday so it seems weird to wish you the standard "have a good week", but in your crazy hours and schedules may you have a wonderful week.