A Nurse Call system is a button found around a hospital bed that allows patients in
health care settings to alert a nurse or other health care staff member remotely of
their need for help. When the button is pressed, a signal alerts staff at the nurse’s
station, and usually, a nurse or nurse assistant responds to such a call. Some
systems also allow the patient to speak directly to the staffer; others simply beep
or buzz at the station, requiring a staffer to actually visit the patient’s room to
determine the patient’s needs.
The call button provides the following benefits to patients:
Enables a patient who is confined to bed and has no other way of communicating
with staff to alert a nurse of the need for any type of assistance
Enables a patient who is able to get out of bed, but for whom this may be
hazardous, exhausting, or otherwise difficult to alert a nurse of the need for any
type of assistance.