Nurse tracking devices

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Specializes in N/A.

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

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Specializes in PERI OPERATIVE.

Um, this is a joke, right? I mean we're nurses, not prisoners! Who needs to know EXACTLY where I am at all times?!?

I can see having them on babies...but not the nurses.

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The ER department at my hospital is trying out a tracking system. They told us it was so pts could not say they have not seen a nurse in so long. Personally I think it's so the hospital knows where we are. I tend to forget mine...opps

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We have the tracking devices that you're talking about on our Maternity floor. The nurses there said they like it.

They're in the process of getting a walkie-talkie version of it.

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Specializes in Nurse Anesthesia, ICU, ED.

When I did clinicals at Duke Hospital, the nurses there wore these types of devices. They also functioned as "walkie-talkies" to allow the nurse to communicate with the nurse's station. They did help if you needed to ind a nurse quickly, and I don't recall anyone complaining about their use, but I did see how they could serve other nefarious purposes like tracking the amount of time a nurse was off the floor and such.

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Specializes in N/A.

Here are some pros & cons....

http://www.workrights.org/in_the_news/in_the_news_abcnews.html

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Specializes in all things maternity.

My supervisor has talked to us about a similar device that we may start using. Supposedly it will tell tptb who isn't answering lights in a timely fashion and if we spend too much time in the breakroom or the bathroom. All of this is because some bigwig complained that his wife waited too long to have her light answered on another floor. Not sure I will comply with wearing one.

:Melody:

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

The hospital where I used to work used them on the floors, but not the ICU or ER. They've been in use for about five years and there have been no complaints.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

This defenately has some intresting uses!

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

i can't stand pagers and beepers

i'd have to be implanted with the microchip

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Where I used to work all CNAs and RNs had to wear the trackers. It has pro's and cons. The system where I was at was to record and log who was where and for how long, how long it took to answer call lights and who answered it. It also recorded how many trips to the bathroom one made, how many times you went to the breakroom and for how long. There was absolutely no privacy what so ever. I couldn't even take a break in peace unless I left the floor because I would be constantly interupted...and I was a CNA at that time! The trackers we had were supposed to have a staff emerg button on it.....never worked. It only quietly alarmed at the computer so if you weren't at the RN station you didn't know someone was in trouble. Instead of tending to the pt themselves they would look on the computer to see what room I was in and then interrupt me to say so and so needed something. I didn't like it personally. It's no ones business how many times I go to the bathroom in a shift or how often I walk into the breakroom or leave the floor. A lot of us had to go to the breakroom to scrounge for cups, straws, etc. b/c we were never stocked and we constantly had to leave the floor for other supplies because again, we are never stocked. I just didn't like it.....

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Specializes in ICU,ER.

Why don't they just tag our ears like cattle and be done with it?

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