The hospital introduced in PHS emergency informing system to guarantee instant reaction to urgent situation in April 2005. The system, based on Hitachi’s PBX “CX8000M2”, connects 98 emergency informing buttons in hospital with a Hitachi relay switch board, and is able to notify set-form message to registered PHS handset.

1. PHS System Added to Hitachi Network to Improve Safety Level of Medical Service

The hospital in Affiliation with Dental Department, Medical School of State-owned University A has made contributions for local society for about 140 years. Along with promoting the development of advanced medical service like children heart surgery and organ transplants, the hospital, which holds 29 medical departments, 12 dental departments and 32 central health check facilities, has also set up a medical safety control department in order to execute overall safety control and create zero accident medical environments.

The hospital introduced internal PHS system only in hope to improve the medical safety control in 2003. “Investigate into the reason for wrong medical prescription and indication, we found that in order to find a corresponding doctor who might be in surgery, or in a patients’ ward, or in a medical office, or on move, a nursing staff would have to interrupt the work on hand and make multiple calls here and there. By equipping doctors with PHS, nursing staffs no longer need to make effort to look for doctors.” Said the head of the medical safety control department of the hospital. At this point, taking into consideration of the exchangeability with external lines and the practicability of a public PHS for personal use, Hitachi’ PBX and 970 internal PHS handsets were selected and introduced into the hospital.

2. Building Emergency Informing System with PHS Mail Function

In many hospitals, broadcasting system is adopted to call doctors and nursing staffs in time of patient’s sudden change of situation.

But since no broadcasting system is introduced in this hospital where enlarged amount of facilities have already lapped over each other, PHS is introduced with planned purpose to receive broadcasting messages. At this point, Hitachi is involved to take over the work to construct internal system. “We have to build a network with full coverage, to guarantee emergency informing system works in every corner of the wide range in hospital. So we asked if the system could be built to enable the efficient use of both existing lines and newly built circuit.” Chief examiner at the hospital’s procurement department retraced. The biggest challenge to meet the demand lied with the way of taking in signal to the long distance circuit. “There’s no product we could fit directly in this system. So we took advantage of the informing device from factory’s assembling line. When spare parts on assembling line is out of stock, button on this device can be push to inform for supply. But even this device can’t be used directly because the distance between the blinking light and the switch is short. This is why we considered linking individual switches cross out the hospital with the relay switch board.” (please refer to the image below) a sales staff at Hitachi Group said.



Like this, Hitachi Group worked out the problem in October 2004, proposed the way to construct system and started development work. Meanwhile, hospital also began to choose the installation spots for the emergency informing system switches and the message informing staffs.

“Consider the need to cope with patient’s sudden change of situation and the need to revive a life, each and every of the installation spots for the 98 switches is decided by 20 to 30 registered staffs including anesthesiologist, doctor from first-aid department, responsible doctor from patient’s department and chief nurse, after thorough discussion with the risk manager on spot.” The general risk manager at medical safety control department explained.

3. Prepared for Disaster Informing, Function Expansion Expected

On April 2005, the emergency informing system is put into official use. Concretely, When button is pushed at a time of patient’s sudden change of situation (see pictures to the right side), signal or message in words is forwarded to gateway through relay switch board, the set-form help request message is informed from PBX to PHS. “The voice of support has been on rise till now. Once the button is pushed and the urgent message is sent, staffs are encouraged. The common feeling is that not only I am on the spot, supports are coming.” deputy chief nurse at the medical safety control department explained. Because PBX sends mail to PHS one by one, not all PHS handsets receive mail at the same time and it takes time for all registered PHS holders to get the message. There shall not be a problem to cope with general cases, although in case of heartbeat stop, whether or not proper treatment can be received within 5 minutes becomes the key to save a life. In this occasion, various countermeasures can be taken so that one doesn’t have to rely completely on late-coming support. “Support will definitely come sooner or later, so we believe it is most important to take reviving measures in the earliest possible time. For this reason, education and maintenance of fist-aid goods are regarded critical. Besides, those who received the message would immediately adjust work on hand and rush to help us.” An accredited nurse for intensive care said.

The hospital hopes to use the well-established emergency informing system not only for the communication in time of patient’s sudden change of situation. It is also considering expanding the function to inform accident and natural disaster messages. For this reason, the hospital bet heavily on Hitachi Group for its continuous improvement on the system, including the modification to enable disaster-informing function.