Most patients are cared for by a team of health care professionals. The point to point nature of pagers makes them very ineffecient at keeping the entire team informed. There is also no easy way to manage and triage pages. This problem is compounded during patient hand-offs, leading to situations where vital information is missed.
Safety
Communication Failure ~ 50% of all medical errors
Transitions of care can be devastating
JCAHO 2008-09 Inpatient Safety Goal #2
Cost
Wasted time decreases productivity and raises length of stay
$4 million / yr loss to 500-bed hospital due to inadequate communication
$12 billion annual cost to US Healthcare industry
Quality
Communication deficiencies decrease physician, nurse satisfaction/retention
Lack of effective communication can reduce patient satisfaction and trust
Quality communication is fundamental to quality patient care
