Voalte White Paper Explores Impact of Smartphones on HCAHPS
SARASOTA, Fla (PRWEB) August 27, 2013 -- Voalte, the leader in clinical communication technology, today released its newest white paper, “Staying Ahead of the HCAHPS Curve,” which finds that the use of hospital-issued smartphones can improve patient safety and satisfaction.
The white paper discusses the impact of smartphones on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). The HCAHPS survey measures patient perception of the quality of care received at acute care hospitals. From noise levels to nurse responsiveness, the questionnaire summarizes the overall experience during a patient’s hospital stay.
According to the white paper, smartphones can impact HCAHPS scores by improving nurse response time and reducing unnecessary noise. Reports show the most common reasons patients use nurse call buttons are to request pain medication, report an alarm or ask for bathroom assistance. Using smartphones, nurses are able to receive alarms quickly and communicate directly with the patient to assess the urgency of each request.
The use of smartphones can also substantially decrease noise levels within the hospital. Hospital noise is commonly cited as the number-one patient complaint, with only 60 percent of HCAHPS respondents indicating the area around their room was quiet at night. Clinicians who use smartphones can communicate silently via text messaging, effectively eliminating overhead paging and reducing unnecessary verbal conversations. The findings of a previous study revealed 78 percent fewer overhead pages following the installation of Voalte smartphones at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System in Florida.
View the latest white paper, "http://www..voalte.com/l/8232/2013-08-26/3k222p [Staying Ahead of the HCAHPS Curve __title__ Staying Ahead of the HCAHPS Curve].”
Caroline Early, Voalte, http://www.voalte.com, 9413122830 115, [email protected]
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