A successful hospital or healthcare center runs on an extensive web of communication and a solid chain of command. As communication technology advanced, so did productivity in the healthcare industry. A single miscommunication in a healthcare setting can spark panic or outrage in an instant, especially during a pandemic. While healthcare professionals and hospitals reflect on recovering from the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, it’s important to also look at success and how communication tools enhance healthcare productivity.
Stay Connected to Anyone at Any Time With the Internet
Now that computers are completely mainstream, they’re an irreplaceable device in any medical staff member’s toolbox. Emails and instant messaging can provide any staff member with an immediate line of communication with any other employee in the network. Whether it’s a helpdesk request or a daily staff announcement, email and other internet-based applications equip staff with the quick connection tools that they need. The IT helpdesk can even remotely connect to another staff member’s computer through the network to assist with repair, enormously amplifying medical IT productivity and how many cases they can solve on a regular workday.
Conference calls on the phone limit conversations between employees to only those in the call. With instant calling and messaging through a private communication platform, all employees are accessible for quick questions or long conversations—even by means of multitasking when already in a virtual meeting.
Improving Radio Technology for Emergency Responders
Emergency responders are vital pieces of a hospital’s workforce and require constant, instant communication to better work together as a team. Hardy two-way radios or specialized cellphones are essential for emergency staff to communicate during critical moments. Radio technology improves regularly for high-quality inputs and output, but the most important improvement lies in the batteries of the radios. Battery life is crucial when on a long night of frequent calls and emergency situations.
Recent developments in applications and touchscreens for two-way radios combine the utility of a cellphone with the efficiency of a walkie-talkie. Though hospitals are notoriously radio dead zones, improvements to signal boosters effectively improve range anywhere in the building. Though hospitals are notoriously radio dead zones, improvements to signal boosters effectively improve range anywhere in the building.
Cellphone Applications for Collaborating Anywhere
The quick evolution of the cellphone is a stellar display of how communication tools enhance healthcare productivity. Many administrative members considered cellphones merely distractions and had no productive purpose in the hospital outside of important work calls. Now, healthcare workers can install the same kinds of communication applications on their cellphones that they would install on their computers to bring a line of contact with them wherever they go. These smartphone applications are especially useful for collaborating in administration groups or for discussing schedules in group chats. While cellphones were once a hinderance in the healthcare workplace, they have now become a staple.
