Overhead Paging Banned

aeris99 · Sep 13, 2015

I worked in a Ltc that banned the "voice from nowhere"

We saw a substantial drop in behaviors from the Az/dementia residents.

Honestly it was a much more enjoyable environment to be working in.

We did use pagers for call bells and the like. It also has a text option for short messages.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2015

I worked in a Ltc that banned the "voice from nowhere"
We saw a substantial drop in behaviors from the Az/dementia residents.
Honestly it was a much more enjoyable environment to be working in.
We did use pagers for call bells and the like. It also has a text option for short messages.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2015

Overhead paging is strongly frowned upon where I work. I rarely use it anyway, incase I really can't find the staff member who I am looking for or it is an emergency.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 13, 2015

I once worked in an LTC before I became a nurse. There wasn't even an overhead paging system available.

I now work in a hospital where overhead pages are limited to traumas, codes, and during day shift, pages for owners of cars that were hit in the visitor parking lot or were parked in prohibited spots. Any other pages must be approved by the house supervisor prior to the operator being allowed to overhead page.

casi, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

Paging in LTC really should be kept to emergencies only. I really hate to hear paging at my work, we are a person's home.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

Yup, not allowed where I work. Was told the state can cite for this. We now page for weather related emergencies only!

Hi all! I work in a SNF who recently announced all forms of overhead paging will be banned effective immediately.
Does anyone else work in a facility who went this route? How did it work out? What are your personal feelings on it?
Many I work with are frustrated.

CrazierThanYou · Sep 14, 2015

The LTC where I work PRN recently got cited for using overhead paging and we were told it was no longer allowed. The next time I worked, though, they were right back to using it. If OH paging isn't allowed, we need a way to let people know they are needed. Pagers, phones, something.

The hospital where I work full time doesn't allow OH paging. We also don't use pagers or anything. So basically, we end up with angry patients because their requests are being ignored because whoever answered the call bell didn't see us anywhere then forgot to tell us whatever it was. Its a constant issue.

I once had a patient crashing, both respiratory and I were trying to get ahold of the hospitalist to let her know what was going on. She wouldn't answer her phone. The switchboard refused to overhead page her. Finally, security was able to wake her up and let her know what was going on. We (the floor staff) got griped out because the doc was mad that no one overhead paged her. Only codes are announced via overhead paging. This was an emergency, not an actual code, but we still couldn't get an overhead page. Which the doc probably wouldn't have heard anyway, since she couldn't hear her phone ringing.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

Yup, not allowed where I work. Was told the state can cite for this. We now page for weather related emergencies only!

Wow, I had no idea. The things you learn:)

aeris99 · Sep 15, 2015

If OH paging isn't allowed, we need a way to let people know they are needed. Pagers, phones, something.
We also don't use pagers or anything.

How can you have no means of communication? That facility is just asking for trouble.

I've seen a few different combos of pagers, phones and lights. I personally like the call light phone at the nurses station and having either a pager or facility cell phone on person.

Karou · Sep 15, 2015

Is it's small facility? If it's big, how will you be expected to communicate? I worked in a LTC that overhead paged during daytime only for announcements (like bingo or activities). It was structured so that from the nurses station you could see straight down every hall (like a spider, with nurses station as the body and halls are the legs) so communication wasn't a problem. As long as there is a way to get a hold of staff when necessary, I would think cutting down or getting rid of overhead communication in a LTC "home like" setting would be a quiet relief for the residents.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2015

I once had a patient crashing, both respiratory and I were trying to get ahold of the hospitalist to let her know what was going on. She wouldn't answer her phone. The switchboard refused to overhead page her. Finally, security was able to wake her up and let her know what was going on. We (the floor staff) got griped out because the doc was mad that no one overhead paged her. Only codes are announced via overhead paging. This was an emergency, not an actual code, but we still couldn't get an overhead page. Which the doc probably wouldn't have heard anyway, since she couldn't hear her phone ringing.

What? She was mad b/c no one overhead paged her? If she didn't hear her phone ringing away in close proximity to her how in the heck would she hear an overhead page??