Saratoga Hospital Uses Vocera Solution to Prepare for COVID-19 and Improve Staff Safety
September 08 2020 - 8:01AM
Business Wire
Hands-free communication helps care teams
save valuable time and PPE
Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), a recognized leader in
clinical communication and workflow solutions, today announced that
Saratoga Hospital in New York used Vocera Badges worn under
personal protective equipment (PPE) to prepare for COVID-19 and
manage patient surges before and during the first wave of the
pandemic.
“It was pretty tense waiting for the first wave of COVID-19.
Having the Vocera Badges – and knowing we could communicate safely
and effectively – was a source of assurance as we prepared for an
unprecedented challenge,” said Diane Bartos, DNP, RN, NEA-BC,
Director of Critical Care at Saratoga Hospital, which has been
using the hands-free communication across the facility for more
than six years. “Managing a pandemic is not the time for cell
phones or other hand-held devices that can be contaminated.”
Before Saratoga Hospital experienced its first wave of COVID-19
patients, care team members were well prepared. The hospital
conducted PPE training to help frontline workers understand the
right way to put on PPE and the safest way to remove it. During the
training, which took place inside and outside an anteroom, the
educator would observe and guide team members as they donned and
doffed their protective equipment. The educator and staff members
wore Vocera Badges to communicate during the safety training, which
helped nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and other care team
members reduce their risk of self-contamination.
“Because Vocera Badges can be worn and used under gowns, our
care team members were able to communicate quickly and safely,”
Bartos said. “We were able to save valuable time and PPE. These
devices were a huge help in preparing for the patient surge and for
safeguarding our staff during this tough time.”
During the peak of the pandemic, care teams in the intensive
care unit (ICU) at Saratoga Hospital used hands-free communication
to reduce the number of team members needed in the room and improve
staff safety. When the intubation team put a patient on a
ventilator, the charge nurse would stand outside the room to
observe the procedure and communicate with the team via their
Vocera Badges. The nurse would guide the team as needed to help
reduce the risk of cross contamination.
Similarly, nurses in an isolation room use the wearable device
to communicate with an outside runner to get needed supplies. This
communication process reduces the number of people in the room and
minimizes the number of times a nurse must leave and reenter a
room, and in turn, don and doff PPE.
“The team at Saratoga Hospital is an inspiration and an amazing
example of compassion and resilience,” said Brent Lang, Chairman
and CEO of Vocera. “I am so proud that Vocera solutions are helping
protect healthcare workers on the frontlines as they care for
patients during COVID-19 and beyond.”
About Saratoga Hospital
Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare
provider and the only acute-care facility in Saratoga County. The
hospital’s multispecialty practice, Saratoga Hospital Medical
Group, provides care at more than 20 locations, ensuring easy
access to programs and services that can have the greatest impact
on individual and community health. Saratoga Hospital has
maintained Magnet designation for nursing excellence since 2004.
The hospital is an affiliate of the Albany Med Health System, which
also includes Albany Med, Columbia Memorial Health and Glens Falls
Hospital. The region’s largest locally governed health system, it
has 1,520 beds, more than 800 physicians and 125 outpatient
locations. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or
www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.
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. 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. 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 is at
home 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. Visit www.vocera.com and follow
@VoceraComm on Twitter.
Vocera® and the Vocera logo are trademarks of Vocera
Communications, Inc. registered in the United States and other
jurisdictions. All other trademarks appearing in this release are
the property of their respective owners.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200908005343/en/
Shanna Hearon Vocera Communications, Inc. 669-999-3368
shearon@vocera.com
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