How Hospital Clocks Are Saving The Healthcare Industry

As politicians argue over trillions of dollars in healthcare reform, simple hospital clocks are providing real savings to the healthcare industry today. This new generation of synchronized clocks that tie into the hospital's computer network is cutting costs in many ways.

Synchronized Shift Changes

If it's 5:00 where you are, is it 5:00 upstairs? Maybe not. It might be 5:01 or 4:59. That may not seem like much of a difference, but if the lab closes at 5 and a doctor needs to know if there is still time to get a test in, it matters. Synchronized hospital clocks ensure everyone in the hospital is on the same time.

Time synchronization goes farther than that. All network clocks work off standard internet time signals so they all read the same time, adjusted for time zone. This means all branches of a hospital system are on the same time. Shift changes occur at the right time, ensuring patients are not left without qualified medical staff on duty, and that no ward is double-staffed.

Reduced Liability

Malpractice is a serious concern in the healthcare industry, and often malpractice suits stem from simple mistakes. Hospital clocks reduce errors by keeping everyone on the same schedule. Medication is administered when needed. Nurses making notes on charts record the time precisely. Doctors start rounds on time. Everyone gets to the operating room at the right moment.

Commercial clocks use bright LED displays with large, easy to read numbers that leave no doubt as to exactly what time it is. The clocks automatically adjust for daylight savings, and reset themselves after a power failure. Since they are powered over the network, they can be kept running during a blackout by a standard UPS system. As long as the time is being displayed, hospital personnel know it is the right time.

Inexpensive To Install

One of the biggest cost savings in today's synchronized clocks is that healthcare facilities no longer have to bring in an electrician to install them. Nor do they require constant battery replacement, which is both costly and environmentally unfriendly. They use a technology called Power over Ethernet (PoE) and draw their electricity over the hospital's computer network. No dangerous power lines need to be run to the clocks, so they can be installed by the hospital's own IT staff.

This flexibility makes it easy to mount them wherever they are needed. No longer is the clock placed near an outlet, even if that location makes the timepiece hard to read. Hospital clocks can be mounted anywhere in a matter of minutes.

Synchronized clocks provide savings immediately as they improve hospital operational efficiency, raise patient care quality and reduce power consumption. The savings may not be large, but they accumulate every day across every clock placed. Install network-based hospital clocks and cut health costs without endangering patient health.