Searching for parents when their children come out of surgery. This is a thing of the past for nurses at the Anna Hospital in Geldrop. The hospital recently installed a ‘buzzer system’ that ensures that parents receive a signal on a device when they can visit their children. “It is very important for a child to see a familiar face immediately after surgery,” says initiator Anne van der Wijst.
The buzzer is similar to what you get in a restaurant. It flashes and makes a sound when your food is ready. This system is now also used in the children’s ward of the Anna Hospital. Only with a slightly different purpose. When the buzzer goes off, the parents are not allowed to pick up food but to go to the recovery room. That is a room where children are taken after surgery to sleep after the anaesthesia.
Quest
This innovation should ensure that parents do not have to wait in the department all the time. “The buzzers have coverage throughout the hospital. Parents can therefore safely go to the coffee corner without worrying about being back too late,” says Anne van der Wijst, team coordinator in the children’s department and one of the initiators.
The system also allows nurses to focus more on care. They were sometimes looking for the parents and when they were not in the waiting room. With the new system, Anne hopes that the nurses’ time can be used better. At the moment, the system is only used in the children’s ward. The hospital is still investigating whether it can also be used in other departments.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
