nurse locater devices

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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.

Specializes in LDRP.

What a load of hooey. we have cell phones/beepers. you can call the nurse, or just beep the message "703 needs pain med" or "go to room 705" or "phone call" or even "come to nurse's station".

the na's have beepers too.

phone makes more sense to me.

but to each their own.

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What a load of hooey. we have cell phones/beepers. you can call the nurse, or just beep the message "703 needs pain med" or "go to room 705" or "phone call" or even "come to nurse's station".

the na's have beepers too.

phone makes more sense to me.

but to each their own.

Sounds nice, but what is the backup when the nurse is in a "code brown" and doesn't answer the phone/beeper because she is elbow deep in $$$$?

I did a rotation on a floor that had the beeper system in nursing school. I don't like the beepers. Had a classmate who was with her patient who was crashing, having a seizure while on the bedside commode. She kept hitting the call light for help, and whoever answered the call light just kept activating the beeper which was on the student nurse. Finally, someone hit the intercom to see why someone was yelling help, she said I need help in here!, the unit clerk said "well I'll get the student nurse" At which point she screamed loudly "I AM THE STUDENT NURSE AND IF YOU DON'T GET HELP IN HERE SOON, YOU WILL HAVE TO CALL A CODE!!". When we left clinicals the patient was on the way to the unit after being intubated on the floor. My whole clinical group was a bit traumatized on that one. Kinda turned me off on the idea of beepers.

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Specializes in Oncology RN.

The locators do serve a good purpose. One patient (who apparently wanted a free hospital stay) complained that the nurse never came in and saw her. We were able to bring up how many times the nurse was in that room that day, and how long she had been in there.

There was also an instance that a patient coded, and the wife accused the staff of not coming in to check on her husband. Again, we were able to track who had been in the room, and the duration of their stay.

We wear locators...it's not really a big deal. The detectors are not everywhere...only patient rooms and community areas on our floor...not the bathroom.

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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.

My last hospital had those locator badges. We were all issued one. It kept track of everywhere you went and how long you were there. It kept the log for years. Believe me your "big brother" is watching. But you have to wear it, in order for it to do it. I never wore it, and kept it in my locker. In icu, it came to our unit too. Which we thought was weird for a 10 bed circular unit, but they said that it was to help locate the nurses at a glance. Uh, hello.....all you have to do is look in the room, or yell out for a certain nurse.

I dont believe in it, i think it is a bunch of cr*p. You will know, there has to be antennas in the ceiling, and they cant be hidden in order for it to catch the signal. They look like the spokes of a wheel hanging from the ceiling. Now we have moved and i work at another hospital, but get this, they just installed cameras all over the d*mn building.

What is going on here.....?????

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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!

I just love it!!!!!!! this just cracks me up! :rotfl:

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We use portable wireless phones. They are great when you are contacting the doctor on call for the pt, they can call you back directly. Also they are great when you need security ASAP on the unit or you need to call a code. However, there is a problem with forwarding calls to nurses. When I am Charge there is a phone specifically for the Charge nurse. On more than one occassion I have received more phone calls forwarded to this phone that should not have been. I have actually had to turn the phone off so that I could TAKE CARE OF MY ASSIGNED PTS, instead of running all over the D@^^ place to take care of phone calls that should have been forwarded to the appropriate nurses station.

Elthia provided an excellent example of the problems with one kind of beeper system:

"She kept hitting the call light for help, and whoever answered the call light just kept activating the beeper which was on the student nurse. Finally, someone hit the intercom to see why someone was yelling help, she said I need help in here!, the unit clerk said "well I'll get the student nurse" At which point she screamed loudly "I AM THE STUDENT NURSE AND IF YOU DON'T GET HELP IN HERE SOON, YOU WILL HAVE TO CALL A CODE!!".

Instead of someone just answering the call light in the first place they just kept forwarding it to a beeper on the person already in the room instead of finding out what was needed. I can also see this happening with locator devices, "Sue, your patient needs you in 402" end of communication.

I really don't like the idea of personal locator devices. I can definately see the system being abused by management.

I'd love to know why it takes our transporters over an hour to discharge a patient mid-shift, however there seems to be no shortage of transporters to dump off 2-3 patients at the end of shift. What about housekeeping, I've seen vacant beds from discharged patients left for hours before housekeeping arrived to clean the room, not to mention I've had patients complain about their room not being cleaned for days (I don't have a hard time believing those statements either). Why are nurses and CNAs the only targets for personal locator devices?

What other professionals are there out there who have to wear personal locator devices?

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