3 Reasons Why Intercoms Are Essential for Hospitals

An intercom is one of the most important and necessary communication tools in hospitals today. It helps to ensure security and coordination, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and a safer and more efficient working environment for staff. Typically not just for call or code paging, intercoms are effective for both staff-to-staff and visitor-to-staff communication. With the many advantages intercoms offer for notification, communication, and security, more hospitals should consider incorporating them into their technology systems.

Notification

Intercoms are reliable and ideal for one primary task: sharing information with many people simultaneously. When an emergency needs to be addressed across an entire facility, intercoms help inform individuals within the building or even within a certain department. Mass notification is an important feature, especially when sensitive information is at risk and people are in danger of being hurt.

Intercoms also help prevent alarm fatigue. If every situation receives an alarm, it becomes difficult to determine which issues must be addressed immediately, and people could be hurt through sheer complacency. Hospital staff must avoid this type of complacency, especially when accounting for patient safety.

Communication

While intercoms are useful for communicating information to many individuals at once, their main weakness has been not allowing two-way communication. For example, if a person on the floor has an update to a situation, they must find another way to communicate it to those managing the intercom. The good news is, by integrating phone systems into intercoms, you can enable this critical two-way communication.

Via a phone system, information can be received and shared across the facility or within a specific department. Any updates can be provided immediately. Incorporating phone systems into intercoms can also offer alternative notification methods for those who might not be able to hear the intercoms, whether due to disability or other reasons.

With more hospitals seeking to create quiet environments, a phone system can also help decrease disruptions in a unit’s workflow by only notifying staff or directing pages to isolated areas. Years ago, everyone in the hospital could overhear a page, causing added stress on patients and their family members as they heard about other people’s situations on the unit. Phone systems can provide a better method for less alarm fatigue.

Security

Intercoms have a long history of access-control use. You likely have visited a business where you were required to be “buzzed in” and verbally confirm who you were and why you were there. Intercoms are still used in this manner — and for good reason: They enable workplaces to verify who they’re letting in and why.

Cameras can also be implemented alongside intercoms to provide a visual of those attempting to enter and ensure they are who you are expecting. Using cameras for access control helps prevent weapons entry and tailgating, protecting not only people but the information hospitals are required to safeguard.

Another way intercoms can enhance controlled access is by allowing a door release from local and remote locations or even a mobile application. Combining an intercom system and access control with weapons screening can greatly improve hospital safety for everyone inside.

Enterprise solutions

While individual systems exist to cover notification, communication, and security separately, an enterprise intercom system can support all three. These types of systems let different departments communicate more easily and can boost security through access control.

With many hospitals having separate intercom solutions for their pharmacies, labor and delivery facilities, parking lots, medical office buildings, administration personnel, loading docks, operators, remote locations, etc., it can be challenging from a communications and management standpoint. An enterprise system offers more unified communications through one system and multiple communication points. Intercom calls can be routed to different locations depending on the staffing status. For instance, if an administrator is out sick or out to lunch with no local staff, calls can roll over to the facility’s main operator.

Time to upgrade?

It’s important for hospitals to evaluate their current intercom systems and consider the benefits of upgrading. Modern intercoms can lead to better communication, enhanced security, increased efficiency, and improved patient satisfaction. By modifying or upgrading your facility’s intercoms, you can ensure they help keep everyone safe and well-informed.

To learn more about intercoms and other integrated security and life safety solutions for your healthcare facility, visit team@provencontent.com.