Wireless VoIP benefits being frustrated in healthcare: study

UC is an attempt bridge the many communication gaps that exist in healthcare, Malkary says. Many nurses carry anywhere from two to five different communication devices including cell phones, VoIP phones and pagers. And, while they want improved communication and smoother, saner workflows, the term "unified communications" is one they can't or don't define. "They say 'it's a meaningless marketing term that has no bearing on what I'm doing,'" Malkary says.

For example, one constant refrain from nurses who were interviewed was that VoIP communications often can be disruptive of patient care. With a VoIP mobile device, nurses have to field calls in the midst of medical procedures and treatments.

"Today, you typically have a department secretary that triages incoming calls," Malkary says. "But with wireless VoIP, this is shifted to the nurse at the patient's bedside. If you push more onto the nurse, it disrupts her thinking process and her treatment, especially if she's doing things like administering medications."

Often, the call can't simply be ignored. For example, if a patient has a heart attack or other medical emergency, the nurse may be forced to respond. But it requires nurses to be multi-tasking, while still providing quality patient care, a potentially dangerous combination, according to Malkary.

The wireless VoIP systems also often create an unexpected gotcha: nurses and hospitals suddenly discover that a nurse is forbidden by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to talk over a wireless voice connection about one patient's condition while in the presence of another. "This is actually a big issue in healthcare," Malkary says.