How Clinical Collaboration has Evolved Over the Years and Why It’s Important Now

Communication allows information to be shared between people. This is especially important in healthcare where that information could mean the difference between life and death.

Technology such as telephones and public address systems were used to communicate vital information to clinicians before the advent of pagers in the 1950s made immediate communication possible. Hospitals use simulcast networks to broadcast messages to modern pagers, which can be more reliable than cellular networks and reach clinicians even if they’re located in a cellular dead zone within a hospital. However, typical pagers allow only one-way communication and short messages. Clinicians must find a phone to respond, and that’s not always straightforward or efficient. 

Gaps in the flow of communication can cost valuable time and make clinician workflows inefficient. Clinical communication and collaboration tools on mobile devices can make it easier to reach the right person when needed and ensure that a message is received by someone who can act upon it, supporting the flow of vital information. This ultimately benefits patients whose care may rely on quick communication between clinicians.