Various hospital-chains are installing WiFi phones that can also do wireless data comms to enable their nursing staffs to be in many places at once without running their asses off. The impetus for this tech-adoption is a national nursing-shortage, which is increasing hospital administrators' willingness to try out new gadgets.
Most hospitals have relied on desktop phone systems. "Let's say they got a page," said Jeff Lett, senior director of technical operations at Tenet Healthcare. "They had to interrupt their rounds, rip off the blood-pressure cuff, and run to phone–or continue on and make the doctor livid."
When Tenet Healthcare asked nurses what would make life easier, "the nurses came back and said wireless phones," Lett said.
