Wireless Network Improves Hospital Communication

By Rob Goodman, Contributing Writer

Deploying a new wireless network and using smartphones have helped Cornwall Community Hospital improve internal communication, raise patient satisfaction, and elevate employee productivity.

Coordinating daily activities and communicating with staff members can be quite a challenge within any hospital. Medication needs to be dispensed, X-rays need to be taken, and rooms need to be prepared for new patients. In fact, patient discharge and room preparation is one area that can be improved through real-time communication between administrators and members of the housekeeping staff.

When a patient is ready to be discharged, the floor administrator must alert the housekeeping staff, who, in turn, clean the room and alert the administrator when the room is ready. As simple as this process sounds, there are many moving parts involved, and the more efficiently the housekeeping staff can do their job, the easier it is for patients to get registered and settled into their rooms.