WiFi VoIP success at Belfast hospital

Results from a study into WiFi VoIP at the Royal Victoria Hospital Emergency Department in Belfast during December 2007 have just been published.

The system works by each person having a communicator hanging round their neck, and all that needs to be done to connect to another worker is to push a button and say that persons name or their role.

A conversation between the two people can then begin.

The results from the study, by Kinetic Consulting, found that the system improved patient care and safety, increased satisfaction in both patient and clinician, caused savings in clinical time, increased efficiency and reduced patient delays.

"This study has allowed us to evaluate where we need to develop our communications," said Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in a statement.

"The advantage for us is having a system in place to continue the progression and patients are seeing better service as a result.

"Through the use of technology our staff can do their jobs more efficiently."

On top of these results, 98 per cent of staff said it improved communication with their colleagues.