Two-Way Radios: Healthcare Communication Tools

Today’s hospitals function less like simple facilities and more like small communities. With multi-story buildings, a campus, sometimes even their own police department, and more, hospitals must manage communication effectively across hundreds of staff members. In healthcare, you can’t risk a dropped call or spotty service when a patient is in need of life-saving treatment or a healthcare provider is trying to report an assault. There’s no downtime in healthcare, and your communication system should reflect that.

For years, the ultimate communication tool for healthcare has been two-way radios. They’re easy to use, durable, reliable, and much more efficient than cell phones. You’ll never suffer a dropped call with two-way radios—you can be certain that your message is getting through with the right system and tools, tailored specifically to your needs.

Let’s review how two-way radios can be used in a number of departments within a traditional hospital.

Security and Police

It may not be the first on your mind when you think healthcare, but security plays an important role in keeping patients and staff safe. OSHA reports that 75% of workplace assaults occur in healthcare settings, and it’s usually patients or customers assaulting healthcare professionals. Security is not just protecting patients and customers, but the hospital staff as well.

In order to effectively police a hospital, especially a large one with multiple buildings, your security personnel must use a reliable communications solution. If a security guard has to immediately respond to an incident, he can call for backup with just the click of a button if he’s using a two-way radio. Even better, with a hands-free headset, he can communicate on the fly with confidence—the worry that a call won’t go through won’t even cross his mind.

With the right channel setting for his radio, he can establish an instant connection with each of his colleagues and identify the incident location, the nature of the incident, and anything he needs from them. Within seconds, the entire team can be briefed and be ready to implement its preparedness plan.

Maintenance

Hospital maintenance work is never done—from a simple lightbulb replacement to handling a burst water heater, there’s always something that needs your repair crew’s attention. But without the proper communication tool, maintenance workers can be stuck handling a three-person job by themselves until they can find a colleague to help them out. With two-way radios, your worker can instantly get in touch with the entire crew and find someone nearby.

Another hallmark trait of two-way radios is their durability. Since maintenance workers deal with heavy equipment and machinery on a regular basis, having a radio on hand that can take a beating will make their job much easier.

Janitorial Services

With hundreds of patients a day across thousands of square feet, your hospital must ensure that the premises are kept clean and tidy. It’s easy to plan out the daily cleaning of rooms, break rooms, and common areas ahead of time, but you can’t prepare for unexpected emergencies. If an accident occurs in a common walkway of the ER, it needs to be handled immediately.

With two-way radios, janitors can contact each other instantly to find someone closest to the incident who can help resolve the situation. And, like maintenance workers, janitors need radios that are reliable and durable because they often work with harsh chemicals and water. A cell phone wouldn’t make it one day in that business, but radios are built to endure.

Connecting Your Entire Workforce

We’ve discussed how every department has its own reasons and needs for two-way radios, but many times, departments will need to communicate with each other. For example, if a security guard notices an area that needs cleaning while he’s on patrol, he could call the janitors and let them know. If janitors notice a missing or broken part in a room, they could get in touch with someone from your maintenance crew and have them take a look before the problem affects a patient or hospital staff. Having one integrated communication system makes all of this a breeze. Each department can have its own channel for internal communication but can still switch to other channels when needing to speak to other departments.

The MOTOTRBOTM Portable Radio

Two-way radios clearly serve an important role in a healthcare setting, but how can you decide which one is best for your needs?

While there are a variety of two-way radios available, digital is simply the best. Specifically, Motorlola’s MOTOTRBOTM series is known for its integrated voice and data capabilities, durability, and advanced operational features. All of this makes it an excellent choice for healthcare workers. The XPR 7000e and 3000e series in particular are popular choices, both equipped with:

• Integrated Wi-Fi
• Over-the-air software updates
• Bluetooth audio
• Improved expandability
• Enhanced audio quality
• Better range and battery life
• Better waterproofing

With the 7000e, you also receive indoor location tracking and the optional Man Down feature to alert other radios when a vertical radio has become horizontal, signaling that a worker has fallen and hasn’t gotten up. While both radios are popular in the healthcare industry, one of our two-way experts can help you pick the right tool for you. You can browse our catalog to find our full product line of portable radios fit for the healthcare industry.

Integrated Solutions

The power of ESS solutions doesn’t stop at two-way radios. If you’re in need of security surveillance and access control as well, our experts are ready to help. Integrate your communications, security, and access control with us to streamline your solutions and make customer service easier.

ESS can design, deploy, and maintain all communications and security technologies. Want to learn more about any of the solutions listed above? Contact us so we can put you in touch with one of our representatives.