Toronto General Hospital Deploys Vocera Smartbadge to Protect and Connect Care Teams During COVID-19 Patient Surges

Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), a recognized leader in clinical communication and workflow solutions, today announced Toronto General Hospital (part of the University Health Network) deployed the wearable Vocera Smartbadge across three of its intensive care units (medical-surgical, cardiovascular and coronary) to help improve staff response times during surges of COVID-19 patients. The voice-controlled Smartbadge enables clinicians to communicate and collaborate quickly and efficiently even while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

“In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the common challenges staff faced was difficulty in hearing each other over PPE, creating potential barriers in patient care and staff safety,” said Linda Flockhart, Clinical Director at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Medical Surgery Intensive Care Unit, University Health Network. “Through an innovative and simple-to-use device, Vocera has brought personal protection and clear communication together.”

A nurse, doctor, or other care team member wearing a Smartbadge can initiate communication by saying, “OK, Vocera” followed by simple voice commands, like “call anesthesiology” or “call the emergency response team.” Clinicians can connect with the right person or group quickly and safely, saving critical time and resources. By simply saying a name, role or team, healthcare workers can collaborate completely hands-free, even in isolation, while scrubbed in, or wearing surgical gloves.

“Most of our nursing staff were up and running with the Vocera Smartbadge in a few minutes,” said Dr. Andrew Steel, Attending Physician, Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Assistant Professor, University of Toronto. “The Smartbadge is very easy to use, and just what we needed at a time when there were a thousand other things to be learned during the growing challenges of the pandemic. There were new protocols, new technologies, new people, and new procedures. It was a relief to have something so intuitive to keep staff connected.”

Purpose built for healthcare, the Vocera Smartbadge combines hands-free capability with smartphone functionality. The device’s 2.4” touchscreen enables clinicians to receive prioritized clinical events, read notifications with patient context, and send secure text messages, to accelerate care and improve patient safety. Additionally, the Smartbadge has a dedicated, one-touch panic button so healthcare staff can get help quickly in emergency situations.