Lake of the Woods District Hospital Prepares for Future Smart Hospital with Vocera Solutions
Hands-free communication is essential for care teams during COVID-19 and beyond
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2020– Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), a recognized leader in clinical communication and workflow solutions, today announced that Lake of the Woods District Hospital (LWDH)in Kenora, Ontario is deploying intelligent communication solutions from Vocera to help protect and connect care teams now and beyond COVID-19.LWDH is in the midst of redevelopment (the All Nations Hospital Project) with planning partner Kenora Chiefs Advisory, which will serve residents of Kenora and a large surrounding area that includes several First Nations communities. This new hospital will be built on a strong digital foundation.
Strategic planning for the new facility includes hardwiring best practices and proven technologies in the existing hospital to ensure the planned smart hospital has the best services and solutions when the doors open in a few years. Among those solutions are the wearable, voice-controlled Vocera Smartbadge and the Vocera Vina smartphone application. Powered by the Vocera Platform, these mobile solutions enable healthcare workers to connect and communicate with simple voice commands, send and receive secure messages, and manage patient-centric alert notifications.
“As we look forward to building a new hospital, we want to make sure we already have a reliable and secure communication system embedded into our clinical workflows and ecosystem. We are installing the Vocera Platform in our current operations so when we move to the new building, we are ready to go from day one,” said Cheryl O’Flaherty, Chief Financial Officer at LWDH, which has been caring for people for more than 120 years. “We need a smart, future-proof communication system that can improve operational efficiencies, elevate patient care and safety, and help protect clinician and staff well-being.”
With the Vocera communication and collaboration platform, care team members can choose the right device for their role or task. When it comes to caring for patients with COVID-19, hands-free communication is essential. The Smartbadge can be worn and used under personal protective equipment (PPE), empowering clinicians to connect quickly and safely. Additionally, the dedicated panic button on the device makes it easy to get help fast and discreetly.
“Without the Smartbadge, a nurse working in an isolation room needing supplies or assistance would have to leave the patient, go to an ante room, remove PPE, wash her hands, get the needed help or resources, return to the ante room, and don more PPE,”said Chantal Tycholiz, Manager of the Emergency Department at LWDH.“The Vocera solutionsaves valuable time and resources, enables clinicians to stay close to the bedside, and helps reduce their risk of self-contamination.”
A future integration between the Vocera solutions and the hospital’s nurse call system will enable patients to connect directly with their care team members, helping improve staff response times, patient safety and satisfaction. The Vocera Platform integrates with more than 150 clinical and operational systems, including electronic health records, (EHRs), physiologic monitors, ventilators, and real-time location systems.
“Vocera is proud to support Lake of the Woods District Hospital and its mission to build a fully-integrated smart hospital of the future,” said Brent Lang, President and CEO of Vocera. “We hope our recent partnership with the Northern Supply Chain procurement group will help pave the way for other hospitals in the province to secure communication solutions that can help improve the lives of patient, families and front-line healthcare workers.”
About Vocera
The mission of Vocera Communications, Inc. is to simplify and improve the lives of healthcare professionals, patients, and families while enabling hospitals to enhance quality of care and operational efficiency and humanize the healthcare experience. In 2000, when the company was founded, we began to forever change the way care teams communicate. Today, Vocera offers the leading platform for improving clinical communication and workflow. More than 2,100 facilities worldwide, including nearly 1,700 hospitals and healthcare facilities, have selected our solutions. Care team members use our solutions to communicate and collaborate with co-workers by securely texting or calling, and to be notified of important alerts and alarms. They can choose the right device for their role or task, including smartphones or our hands-free, wearable Vocera Smartbadge and Vocera Badge.
They can create a richer, more human connection for patients and their loved ones before, during, and after care using Vocera Ease applications. Interoperability between the Vocera Platform and more than 150 clinical and operational systems helps reduce alarm fatigue; speed up staff response times; and improve patient care, safety, and experience. In addition to healthcare, Vocera solutions are found in luxury hotels, aged care facilities, retail stores, schools, power facilities, libraries, and more. Vocera solutions make mobile workers safer and more effective by enabling them to connect instantly with other people and access resources or information quickly. Vocera has made the list of Forbes 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in America, and the VoceraSmartbadge was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Best Inventions of 2020.
Source: vocera
