01.10.10
Doctors and nurses, may I have your attention?
As the elderly population of the UK continues to grow, the NHS must find new ways in which to deal with increased demand on its services.
Part of growing old for many includes the need for assistance and whilst the elderly are in the care of the NHS, they need to have the capability to attract staff’s attention when assistance is needed.
The technology is already well established in the form of nurse call systems but given that many of the elderly are now more mobile than before, it would prove useful to clinicians to not only know that someone is need of their help, but also where they are located.
Luckily the technology is now changing with the introduction of wireless nurse call systems which contain GPS equipment.
“These devices will typically contain both a GPS receiver and a mobile phone link in them so that the information about where someone is can be relayed back to a monitoring system,” says Nick Hunn, executive director at the Mobile Data Association.
“If you look back just five or ten years, these devices would be have been considerably larger and would have had to have been worn on something like a belt or perhaps strapped to your back. Today, the size of these devices has been reduced down to something smaller than a mobile phone, with the issue of size not dependent on the technology contained in the device, but rather the size of the battery required to power it all.
“However, the devices are now at a stage where they can be worn and when you are trying to keep track of patients, it is essential that these devices are built in such as a way that they can be worn easily and comfortably, typically on a lanyard around the neck.
“The issue of the device’s size must also be balanced against the required life of a battery which could be up to a week depending on the care setting and the condition of the patient.”
Whilst advances in this area of technology have the potential to be of great use, they must also be sensitive to the needs of those using them, especially when the technology is to be used with older people.
Claire Nurden, research and policy officer at Independent Age, said: “Technology like this may have a role to play in helping older people with health or mobility problems. However, they are people not just patients, and consulting the person involved should be a priority.
“Older people have the right to dignity and privacy just as the rest of us do. Neither should technology reduce face-to-face contact from nurses and other professionals. 1 in 10 older people say they are always or often lonely: simply knowing where they are is not going to deal with this.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]