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Hospital Dispatch is a Successful Operation |
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Zetron Integrator RD Provides Breathing Space in a “Tight Squeeze University Hospitals Health System (UHHS) is the premier healthcare delivery system, serving patients at more than 150 locations throughout northern Ohio. The System’s 947-bed, tertiary medical center, University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC), including Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University. Together, they form the largest center for biomedical research in the State of Ohio.
An educated choice in healthcare: Like many large hospitals, University Hospitals of Cleveland operates its own communications center. “We are the hub for all hospital communications,” explains Paula Shenal, Transfer Center Communications Coordinator. “We handle communications with doctors, ground transport and the University Medevac helicopters.”
The actual communications area where Shenal and her staff operate is located in the hospital’s basement, close to the emergency ward. It’s a narrow and tight space (around 8’ x 20’) that was made even more cramped by the large console system they originally had.
“It was old stuff that had been here for more than twenty years,” Shenal adds. “It didn’t work half the time so you couldn’t talk to your squads. It was a nightmare.”
A dream come true: The nightmare ended in September 2003, when Independence Communications of Chesterland, Ohio removed the bulky old console system and replaced it with three positions of Zetron’s Integrator RD (Radio Dispatch Work Station).
“They had six old console cabinets lined down the wall,” explains Chris Bricklebank, a sales person with Independence Communications. “If you boiled it all down, however, probably only one of the console units was working at any given time. University Hospitals wanted to reduce the wasted space and improve productivity and reliability while reducing downtime.”
A firewall needed to be added, which provided an opportunity to remodel the communications area. When funding became available, Independence Communications, Inc. removed the old console equipment and installed four positions of Zetron’s Integrator RD. At the same time, they replaced the old radio backbone equipment with new Motorola equipment.
“We have two to three positions staffed at any one time,” Shanel says. “Plus I have a single operator position in my office from which I can dispatch or supervise.”
Integrator RD plays well with others: The University Hospitals of Cleveland’s dispatch area didn’t get physically larger during the remodel, but the Integrator RD’s are much more compact, which helps conserve valuable real estate.
“They used to have two monitors at each station,” Bricklebank recalls, “but we reduced that to a single monitor at three of the four stations. Now they have touchscreens and wireless headsets so they can move around in a small area. Plus the Integrator RD allows each operator to customize his or her screen layout to best fit personal needs.”
Only a single monitor and PC was required because the Integrator RD radio dispatch console software will run on a PC along with other Windows® 2000/XP applications. The screen can even be programmed to present critical channel resources and controls when the window is reduced in size, permitting multi-tasking.
“Our layouts are customized with the Zetron Integrator RD so we can toggle back and forth between our database and our radios,” Shenal says. “Now we have the latest technology in our communications room—four console positions, a new digital recording system and our 12 leads EKG retrieval computer. Our dispatchers really enjoy using the new equipment.”
Trust the folks at a world-class hospital to know a smooth operation when they see one. Article provided by Zetron |
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