nurse locater devices

[SWAT_RN]

Hi all! I am aware there are some sort of electronic "nurse locator devices" out there. Are employers obligated to inform the staff if these things are in use? We recently were issued new badges, both as ID and for the time clocks...but with the many other screwy things going on, we wonder if big brother is watching our every move too. Is there any way to know? Sounds paranoid I know, but believe me it could happen. Thanks in advance.

[jmgrn65, RN]

OMG! I thought I had heard it all! I would never consent to wearing one of these devices. What an invasion of privacy. If an employer suspects that a nurse is spending time inappropriately, then address it. Don't put On-Star around everyone's necks!

I'm quite sure the administrators aren't wearing "locators".

That is not what they are used for as I said if you are off the floor it doesn't know where you are it is connected to the call light system, It is designed to locate you while you are on the floor so say i am in a patient room I need help to boost them up in bed I can look up my aid and call her and ask for her assistance.

[jsteine1]

Tagging patients and nurses and then measuring # of encounters.

Thats incredible. Do they intend to share the results of the study with everyone?

[sunnyjohn]

Maybe if the locator is like ONSTAR we would all be in those commercials. Can't you just see it?

Nurse- "NURSE ON-STAR? CAN I Help you"

Patient- "Yes, my mommy's leaking water and I need a refill on my chocolate pudding!"

Nurse- "Leaking water?"

Patient- "Yes she's leaking water and my baby brother is coming out."

Nurse- "Oh, we've triangualted your position and help is on the way."

PAtient- "What about my pudding refill?"

OR

While sitting in the local movie theatre enjoying a small popcorn, diet rootbeer and a box of Jr. Mint, the Nurse SWAT Team surrounds Sally RN. She had earlier ignored a call to her home from her manager asking her to cover as this was her first day off in three weeks.

They had located her position using NURSE ONSTAR!

:rotfl:

I am sorry if I am not taking this seriously enough, but this is just cracking me up!

[hikernurse]

Maybe if the locator is like ONSTAR we would all be in those commercials. Can't you just see it?

Nurse- "NURSE ON-STAR? CAN I Help you"

Patient- "Yes, my mommy's leaking water and I need a refill on my chocolate pudding!"

Nurse- "Leaking water?"

Patient- "Yes she's leaking water and my baby brother is coming out."

Nurse- "Oh, we've triangualted your position and help is on the way."

PAtient- "What about my pudding refill?"

OR

While sitting in the local movie theatre enjoying a small popcorn, diet rootbeer and a box of Jr. Mint, the Nurse SWAT Team surrounds Sally RN. She had earlier ignored a call to her home from her manager asking her to cover as this was her first day off in three weeks.

They had located her position using NURSE ONSTAR!

:rotfl:

I am sorry if I am not taking this seriously enough, but this is just cracking me up!

:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

[jsteine1]

Theres another thread on here somewhere from yesterday regarding a couple of Romantically inclined CNAs who visit empty patient rooms on a regular basis. to communicate,lets say... anyway, tagging everybody is the solution!

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

We use a Hil Rom system we have what is called a locater badge it only picks up on the floors, if you enter a patient's room and thier call light was on then it will automatically go off. There is a main station at the USC desk and if they need to talk to a nurse or cna then they can see where they are at and ask. If you go off the floor it doesn't show you, so if you are in the cafe, then they don't know where you are. THis is in place of our old pager system.

We also have the hil-rom system. It does know when you are of the floor and down stairs eating or even in the bathroom. We have beakers throughout the hospital. However, no one can contact you when you are at these places. To boot, all nurses wear mobile phones as well.

BTW there is no mistaking the locators, as ours are about 2 inches long and maybe 1/2 inch thick

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

jmgrn65, do you live in Dayton? Your Hil rom system is identical to ours and I was wondering if our hospitals were related?

[LauraLou]

We have nurse locators at our hospital. It is not part of your ID badge, but a separate tag that looks like the the thing you use to automatically lock and unlock your car. Whenever you enter a pts room, it automatically turns on the nurse light outside that door. There is also a main monitor at the desk that shows where everyone is and lets you contact the nurse/tech whenever they are on the floor. It is convienent because you can always find someone when you need them. You get used to the system and then it's a pain when someone doesn't wear theirs. You have to page the entire floor to find them.

Degrading? Well perhaps a little. It's certainly a big signal that adminstration doesn't trust its employees. The official explanation is that they are a tool to improve patient care by making it easy to locate staff when they are needed. Of course, the doctors don't wear them and they are the ones who are the hardest to find when you need them!

[jsteine1]

[i just looked it up on the net and Im sure it does have its value. I remember wasting a lot of time just looking for people on a big unit. And if it isnt active off the nursing unit, why would it bother anyone?

[jsteine1]

when you have located someone, how do you communicate with them? Through the patient call system in the room?

[jmgrn65, RN]

jmgrn65, do you live in Dayton? Your Hil rom system is identical to ours and I was wondering if our hospitals were related?

yes i do kmcn

[jmgrn65, RN]

when you have located someone, how do you communicate with them? Through the patient call system in the room?

You use the call system to talk to them that is where the draw back is you have someone yelling into the patients room and if they are sleeping you just woke someone up.