The wireless HTM Nurse Call system from UK manufacturer, Alarm Radio Monitoring, (ARM) has been developed in line with HTM 08-03 requirements to, as the company puts it, ‘provide a more cost-effective alternative to wired systems’.
ARM said: “Wireless nurse call systems offer a major advantage over hard-wired systems due to the fast, efficient installation and future flexibility they offer.”
‘For optimum hygiene’, the nurse call points incorporate Biomaster Antimicrobial Protection, embedded within the plastic outer casing ‘to provide extra protection against the spread of infection’. The company explained: “Biomaster technology provides round-the-clock protection in hygiene-critical environments against bacterial build-up from harmful species such MRSA, E.coli, and Legionella. The active ingredient is built in during manufacture, and lasts the lifetime of the product.”
The patient handset is IP67-rated to enable dip sterilisation, and plugs into a monitored socket on the nurse call point. It has a ‘comfort LED’ when activated, and illuminates in low light to enable easy location in the dark. With the added option of operating the bedside light from the patient handset, the nurse call point can be powered from the lighting circuit, and has its own battery back-up.
Alarm Radio Monitoring’s HTM system includes the visual and audible signals as specified within HTM 08-03 using radio indicator lights / sounders to alert staff of a call / emergency situation. Nurse call points feature a large ‘Patient-to-Nurse’ level call button, and an Emergency ‘Pull to Activate’ switch for emergency situations (for Intensive Care Units, this is a Cardiac ‘Pull to Activate’ switch).
Nurse call points with integral pull cords and ceiling-mounted pull cords are available for toilets and bathrooms, while drug cabinets / stores can also be monitored, to alert staff of unauthorised access.
For refurbishment of existing systems ‘All-in-One’ back plates – incorporating bedside light switch and power socket – are available in various sizes, enabling rapid replacement of existing nurse call systems embedded into bedhead services.
Healthcare facilities can further benefit by combining Alarm Radio Monitoring’s Staff Alarm system and HTM Nurse Call system ‘to provide a complete solution to protect patients, nurses, and doctors’.