Healthcare Mass Notification System: How Hospitals Can Benefit from It

One of the main issues hospitals and healthcare institutions face is how to communicate quickly, easily and effectively when faced with critical situation. By implementing an emergency mass notification system, hospital administrators are able to communicate quickly and immediately with physicians, nurses and other staff members when needed, whenever and wherever they are.

Not only is a notification solution helpful when it comes to communication in the hospital with staff, it aids employees to coordinate with first responders, other medical institutions and agencies, federal agencies and local communities. A communication system in healthcare is especially important when hospitals need to meet the healthcare needs of the surrounding communities, such as in cases of natural disasters, outbreaks, acts of terrorism and industrial accidents and emergencies.

Notifying Thousands Within Seconds or Minutes

While the traditional phone call chain can be full of errors and can consume a lot of time, an emergency alert software enables the delivery of messages to multitudes of people quickly and immediately. Whether the information being sent out has to do with mass disasters, crises, or even routine staff announcements or pages, information sent through notification systems are delivered within minutes or even seconds. The notification system for hospitals typically cycles through different platforms and devices in order to make sure that everyone is informed. This type of system eliminates the need for additional phone lines or onsite hardware and software. All communication is integrated and centralized.

The efficiency and centralization of notification systems are particularly important for communication in the hospital in emergencies that typically require that masses of people be notified as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence and this may mean the difference between life and death.

The main users of this hospital communication system includes ER staff, doctors, nurse administrators, hospital administrators, emergency management, and department managers. Whether you need to contact one doctor or to relay the information to the entire hospital, an emergency mass notification system allows management and employees to provide quality patient care and to manage the flow of patients.

Notification System Features Hospitals Need

Hospitals can be challenging as they typically deal with life-or-death situations. They need to have reliable systems in place form notifying staff that can be used for all types of scenarios, DeskAlerts is a powerful desktop notification software that is used by many hospitals and healthcare institutions to communicate with their staff. Features of DeskAlerts when used as a hospital communication system include:

1. Targeted Notifications: Notifications can be sent to to specific groups of users based on their role, location, department, or other criteria. This feature can help hospital administrators target the right people with the right message and improve the effectiveness of communication.
2. Urgent Alerts: DeskAlerts can be used to send urgent alerts that appear on the user's screen in a way that demands their immediate attention. Hospitals can use this feature to notify staff of critical situations, such as a code blue or a security breach, and ensure a quick response.
3. Two-Way Communication: DeskAlerts lets you quickly and easily send surveys, quizzes and polls to deskops and mobile devices. This feature can help hospitals get feedback from their staff and improve their emergency response.
4. Customizable Templates: Customizable templates can be created in DeskAlerts that hospitals can use to create their notifications quickly and easily. This feature can save time in the event of an emergency and ensure consistency in communication.
5. Multichannel Delivery: DeskAlerts can deliver notifications via multiple channels, including desktop pop-ups, scrolling tickers, corporate screensavers and wallpapers, emails, SMS, and mobile apps. It can also be used to send messages to any digital screen in an organization.
6. Scheduled Notifications: Notifications can be scheduled in advance to be sent at a specific time or date. Hospitals can use this feature to remind their staff of upcoming meetings, training sessions, or other important events.
7. Analytics and Reporting: DeskAlerts provides analytics and reporting tools that allow hospitals to track the effectiveness of their notifications and improve their communication strategies over time.
8. Integration with Other Systems: The DeskAlerts system can integrate with other hospital systems to trigger notifications automatically based on certain events or conditions.

How different job roles benefit from mass notifications in hospitals

Mass notifications can help hospitals to improve communication and coordination among staff members and ensuring that critical information is disseminated quickly and efficiently. Here are some ways that different types of hospital roles – and therefore the healthcare they provide - can benefit from mass notifications:

1. Nurses: Nurses in hospitals are essential to patient care. Mass notifications can help nurses to stay informed about important updates to the hospital’s operating environment, for example staff or bed shortages, as well as new policies, procedures, training etc. It can also be used as a patient notification system – allowing nurses to share important information with one another about a high needs patient’s care.
2. Physicians: Physicians also rely on timely and accurate information to make informed decisions about patient care. Mass notifications can help them stay up-to-date on changes to patient conditions and treatment plans, and can also be used to alert them to important meetings or events.
3. Support staff: Support staff, such as administrative assistants, orderlies, cleaning staff, maintenance workers, and food service workers, are critical to the smooth operation of a hospital. Mass notifications can help ensure that they are aware of any changes or updates to hospital policies, procedures, or schedules.
4. Security personnel: A hospital’s security staff play an important role in maintaining a safe and secure environment for both hospital staff and patients alike. Mass notifications can be used to alert them to potential security threats, such as a patient or visitor behaving erratically or a security breach.
5. Emergency response teams: In the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a mass casualty incident, mass notifications can be used to quickly mobilize emergency response teams within a hospital and coordinate their efforts.

Case Study: How one hospital used DeskAlerts in a crisis

The Saint Pierre hospital in Belgium used DeskAlerts when the city of Brussels experienced several terror attacks, to quickly and effectively communicate with staff members and ensure the safety of patients.

When the attacks occurred, the hospital activated its emergency response plan and sent out mass notifications via DeskAlerts to all staff members, alerting them to the situation and providing guidance on what to do next.

The hospital’s phone systems had become overburdened and went down, however DeskAlerts allowed the hospital to send targeted messages to specific groups of staff members, ensuring that each department received the information that was most relevant to them. For example, the emergency department received instructions on how to triage and treat patients, while the security team received information on how to secure the hospital and protect staff and patients.

The hospital also used DeskAlerts to keep staff members informed of the situation as it evolved, providing updates on the number of casualties and the status of the hospital's response efforts. This helped to reduce anxiety and uncertainty among staff members and allowed them to focus on their tasks and responsibilities.

Overall, the use of DeskAlerts during these terror attacks demonstrated the value of having a reliable and efficient communication system in place during emergencies. By quickly disseminating information and providing targeted guidance to staff members, the hospital was able to respond effectively to the situation and ensure the safety and well-being of its patients and staff.

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In today’s fast-paced world, it is important that hospitals and healthcare organizations have a reliable and robust communications delivery system to keep their staff informed and to help ensure patient safety. DeskAlerts is a leading mass notification system in the healthcare market. If you’d like a free demonstration, get in touch without healthcare communication experts today.

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of mass notification system?

Mass communication systems allow information to be distributed to a large audience simultaneously, whether it be through text messages, emails, or notifications on mobile devices. These systems can help to ensure that critical information is received in a timely manner, reducing the risk of miscommunication, delays, or errors.

What is an emergency notification system?

An emergency notification system is software designed to quickly and efficiently alert a large group of people simultaneously about an emergency or critical event. These systems use various channels, such as text messages, emails, voice calls, or social media notifications, to disseminate critical information to people who may be affected by the emergency.

What Is the Importance of Communication in Health Care?

Effective communication is critical in healthcare settings to ensure that patients receive the best possible care and outcomes. Communication between healthcare providers and patients must be clear, concise, and accurate to avoid misunderstandings and errors. Additionally, communication between healthcare providers themselves is crucial to ensure that patients receive coordinated and comprehensive care.

What Is Effective Communication in Healthcare?

Effective communication in healthcare involves the use of clear and concise language, active listening, and empathy. Healthcare providers must be able to convey complex medical information in a way that patients and their families can understand, while also showing compassion and respect for their concerns. Effective communication also involves the ability to ask open-ended questions, clarify doubts, and provide feedback in a non-judgmental manner.

What 5 key communication skills are critical in the healthcare field?

The five key communication skills for healthcare are:

• Active listening – paying attention to what people are saying, asking questions and summarizing responses to show you understand
• Empathy – acknowledging peoples’ feelings, showing concern and demonstrating a willingness to help
• Clear communication - using language that is easy to understand
• Respectful communication – Being aware of cultural and personal differences and avoiding judgment and assumptions
• Non-verbal communication – being aware of body language and facial expressions that can set a tone for how other people perceive the information that is being conveyed.