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How long does it typically take to safely coordinate and transfer 119 critical hospital patients and equipment from an old hospital to a new one? Days? Weeks?
With the help of wireless, hands-free communication technology, Silicon Valley's El Camino Hospital seamlessly transferred all patients to its new state-of-the-art "smart hospital" in just under 4 hours.
The efficient move was made possible through months of multidisciplinary team planning, scenario training and a wireless communications system that allowed hospital staff to coordinate communications regarding patient care in real-time on move day. It helped maximize staff workflow to ensure patients were safe before, during and after the transfer to the new facility.
 Ultimately, effective staff communication, facilitated by point-of-care voice communication provided by Vocera, played a vital role in both ensuring a problem-free patient transfer process and maintaining the hospital's quiet atmosphere.
Challenge: Upholding Patient Care Through a Hospital Move
State mandates require hospitals to meet stringent building codes in the event of an earthquake. However, retro-fitting our current facility to meet these regulations proved to be too expensive.
In building the new facility, there were a number of decisions to be made. Most importantly, we wanted to uphold our commitment to deliver a high level of patient care and satisfaction while personalizing our approach to attracting and retaining patients.
Transferring patients from the old to the new facility was a challenging task, but technology innovation is a defining characteristic of El Camino, and we intended to use the advanced tools at our disposal to help ensure a smooth process. The most critical of these tools allowed staff to communicate seamlessly throughout the move and create a calm environment for our patients.
Solution: Staff Communication Critical to Ensuring Patient Safety
Having used the Vocera system for 6 years in the old facility, staff members were very familiar with how the wireless communication badges helped them communicate instantly and hands-free at the point of care.
Further, before the completion of the move, the integration of the Vocera badge was already helping manage the hospital's other technologies. For example, to help with electronic medical record (EMR) logistics, staff used Vocera to access the help desk at the touch of a button.
However, as move day approached, we implemented extra staff training and tested the system to ensure day-of events would be performed as full-proof and safely as possible. It goes without saying that initiating the move involved months of cross-functional preparation and planning.
"We worked with the Vocera on-site team to test call light and alarm integration in the new building prior to move day. This ensured they performed as intended in the new hospital, and staff had critical support for doing their jobs," said Hospital Supervisor Agnes Roey. "Training consisted of a 2-hour class for all staff, including participation in a 'day in the life,' scenario where we orchestrated procedures for possible incidents that could occur during the move. This was absolutely key to ensuring staff was prepared for day-of events."
The ultimate test came in moving patients not just from one department, but from everywhere in the hospital. The 119 patients to be moved ranged from those under critical care to general medical surgery and included the youngest pediatric patients.
 To communicate during the move, hospital staff used Vocera badges running off a wireless network. This eliminated the need for an overhead intercom or having to make calls with hand-held mobile cell phones. Ultimately, staff did not have to wait for a response or have to physically track down patients and healthcare providers. They could communicate instantly using the badges affixed to a lanyard or clipped to a scrub shirt to ensure the right care professional could help the right patient for the right situation.
Most importantly, care providers did not have to stop what they were doing to communicate with other staff. The instant voice communication became a focus point for the "virtual air traffic control" center that was central to coordinating the move of each individual patient. For example, nurses responsible for sending and receiving patients could use the system to say "keep the pace going" or "hold transfers for the moment" or "start sending in the next unit's patients." In this way, workflow was not interrupted and patient comfort and safety levels were maintained.
Results: Enhanced Workflow Contributes to Positive Patient Experience
"The biggest complaint of El Camino's old facility was high noise levels," said Incident Commander Cheryl Reinking, vice chief of clinical operations. "Through the use of the Vocera wireless communications system, staff communicated at the touch of a button, and we eliminated the need for an overhead paging system. This ultimately led to a quieter experience for our patients."
The wireless communication tool not only ensured a quiet atmosphere, but it helped our staff familiarize themselves with the new facility. Staff could call the command center help desk to instantly locate specific people, equipment and resources without having to stop workflow. Overall, it was a seamless transition for all 2,500 users involved, from lab and nutrition services to nurses in charge of sending and receiving patients.
After the move, we implemented automated robots throughout the facility to deliver supplies and resources. When a robot loses its way, staff can say "call robot help" into the badge, and the command center immediately gets the robot back on track.
El Camino's new facility was indeed built and uses technology with patients and families in mind. Our care providers are able to respond quickly and more efficiently, which contributes to higher patient satisfaction.
 Christine Tarver is director of medical and surgical services at El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA.
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