Uhura, signal our surrender!
Once the domain of the television show Star Trek, a whole new world of communication allows users to communicate instantaneously with each other. The Vocera Communications Badge (http://www.vocera.com) is what enables this instant communication. Via an identification badge like those already worn by many, on a lanyard or clipped to a shirt or a suit coat, and using wireless communication protocols, people can communicate using voice recognition.The American Hospital Association (AHA) uses Vocera as their preferred standard of communication. Interestingly, 450 out of 550 of Vocera’s customers are now high-tech hospitals! Seattle Public Library, the Boston Public Library, and Santa Monica Public Library are some public library users. Some regional users include:
- William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI
- Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
- Dublin Methodist Hospital, Dublin, OH
Another interesting use of this technology, is using this as a primary means of communication during a disaster. In many disasters, cell phones can become unusable. Emergency workers have been able to use Vocera badges as a means of communication for disaster recovery efforts.
From an article called “Iowa floods put Mercy Medical IT backup plan to test,”
In addition to the VoIP phones, Mercy Medical nurses wear a wirelessly connected communication device around their necks that uses voice recognition to contact medical personnel in other parts of the hospital.
Does your facility use the Vocera Communications Badge or something similar? How effective has it been as an aid in communication?
August 6th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
The library I work for, Columbus Metropolitan, has been using Vocera for several years.
It has many advantages:
–we can do checks for items while walking the floor, communicating with outside callers or librarians from other branches about checking our shelves for particular print items, perhaps asking how items we locate might further assist with a query.
–we can place calls to anyone in the system, talking to them if they are available and leaving them messages if they are not, without knowing their phone numbers. One simply asks Vocera to find them by name.
–for large branches, it is an excellent way to speak to somebody one cannot see, asking them a question without finding them or summoning them to a reference desk or other place where they might be needed.
–pressing a button will send a tone to other Vocera units, summoning security and help in emergenices
Our experience has not been without issues:
1. If a branch is particularly noisy, the sounds can interfere with Vocera use. The Vocera unit can get confused by the outside noise and think one is requesting something one is not (i.e. one says “Call Michael at Dublin” and has Vocera respond “Was that Ray at Hilltop?”) Even with the detachable ear bud in place, the units can be hard to hear.
2. Cell phone calls sometimes get dropped.
We are encouraged enough by our successes, however, to ask Vocera to address our issues so that we might continue using this technology.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Michael, thanks much for your comment! I wondered about noise problems with Vocera.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Vocera has huge human factor errors. Poor voice quality. Difficult to use in noisy areas. Voice recognition is terrible.