Covid-19: 9Solutions Plug & Play Nurse Call System

With Covid-19 (coronavirus) continuing its spread across the globe, medical centers are being overwhelmed. Temporary field hospitals are being set up in, for example, sports arenas and conference venues. These short-term/temporary solutions are necessary to flatten the curve of Covid-19 spread, but they lack basic infrastructure, such as facilitating communication between nurses and patients – which is also a problem when it comes to treating the overflow of patients, some of whom are now in beds lining the corridors of hospitals. Finland’s 9Solutions immediately saw that safe, secure communication between patients and caregivers is going to be vital as we battle the virus, so quickly adapted its existing nurse call system to a plug-and-play model that can be up and running in less than a day.

Nurse Call Lite is 9Solutions’ simply and quickly installed solution that caters to the basic communication needs between patients and nurses.  The solution has three components: a nurse call handset, which the patient uses for either urgent or non-urgent calls, a room terminal, which enables voice connection between nursing staff and patient, and a mobile app, which also enables nurses to manage alarms and communicate with the patients remotely.

Here’s how it works in practice

The patient is given a Nurse Call Handset, which has two buttons: one for urgent calls and one for non-urgent calls, such as they need another blanket. The call goes to the mobile app and the staff member who will respond can note that in the app. In other words, the management feature of the mobile app ensures that once a caregiver indicates they will answer a particular call, this will be noted in the app and colleagues can turn their attention to other tasks, enabling the best use of already stretched human resources. Additionally, the room terminal and the mobile app enable remote communication between patient and staff, reducing unnecessary physical contact and thus reducing the risk of contagion.

“We already work within e-health with a number of solutions,” says Sami Herrala. “We saw immediately that our Nurse Call product would be easy to adapt and extremely helpful in the situation we’re all in. Nurse Call is the embedded communication tool you would find in most hospitals, but it’s a complicated solution that takes time to install, with a lot of cables and other technology. This is perfect in normal circumstances but we’re not living in normal circumstances right now – we need a communication system that is easy to install, easy to use, and can be deployed quickly. Nurse Call Lite is exactly that.”

Nurse Call Lite can be deployed in less than a day.  As soon as the order is made, the 9Solutions team takes customer usage requirements and configures the system. The system is shipped directly to the customer, with easy-to-follow installation and user manuals. There is no need for a technician to come onsite – the customer deploys the system themselves following the instruction manual and/or watching e-learning/videos available for free online. There is also an online Q&A and FAQ page, along with 24/7 technical system supervision and support.

“Not needing a technician is a great benefit,” explains Sami Herrala. “Outside visitors are largely banned from facilities treating Covid-19, both to prevent the spread of the virus but also because PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) supplies are quickly running out in many regions. Being able to set this up themselves quickly and easily really helps with slowing the spread while also giving medical staff the tools they need quickly.”

Quick & easy setup

The instructions and deployment of Nurse Call Lite are simple:

1. Place devices in desired locations on the ward
2. Power on the devices by connecting the power cord to the outlet
3. Download the Smooth Lite smartphone app and activate it
4. System is ready to use

The speed with which the system can be ordered, configured, and deployed will be crucial as more non-traditional medical centers are set-up. And 24-hour battery back-up means the devices will not run out of juice quickly.

Roaming provides uninterrupted and seamless network connectivity

Nurse Call Lite is enabled by wireless connectivity, but the key to making sure this solution is viable is roaming.

“When we called and said we needed SIMs to make it happen Tele2 IoT responded with a solution in 45 minutes. The response was fast, professional, and the team helped us with whatever we needed,” says Herrala. “Equally important was roaming.”.

Tele2 IoT’s roaming solution means Nurse Call Lite can pick whatever network is available, as well as the best network available –  and this ensures that communication is never lost. If a network goes down, the system starts to automatically scan for available networks and then makes the switch.

The future

Once this crisis is over the devices can be transferred for use in regular hospitals and other care centers, and 9Solutions is offering a 10-year guarantee on parts and service.

“We understand that we are in a critical time and we wanted to use our skills and knowledge in being part of the solution,” says Sami Herrala. “But we also know that we will get through this, and life will in some way go back to normal. We want to make sure that our customer’s investment has value both today and tomorrow.”