Been meaning to post this one for a while. I know there are pendant alarms in the community, mainly for warden controlled houses where an elderly person if they fall can summon assistance of the warden. Seen that a few times, had a few shouts on the ambulance to calls like that, and a few similar occurrences on the district.
In the hospital, there are panic alarms. Nurses were to wear them in case they are attacked. Never seen one used in anger, though a faulty one went off so will quickly explain. Say a nurse is in a patient bay, and somebody starts beating seven shades of sh-umthing out of them. If they cannot get out (which in real terms means they could end up getting chased), they press the alarm. This rings a buzzer on a control panel, and an alarm sounds which alerts other staff. When the faulty one went off, there were other nurses from the next ward in really quick.
However, what I have been in and really needed an alarm is patient emergencies. Not cardiac arrests, but other such calls. I have twice been left in a situation where there were no staff about (sods law) for a few seconds and on responding to patient buzzers (on most occasions!) I have ended up having to physically support patients to stop the situation worsening. The problem was with this, that in some I was unable to reach and pull the emergency cord to summon help. The first cases, I had not cancelled the buzzer which originally summoned me, so I recall I left it going to attract attention and called out for help, which a passing HCA heard, and got the staff nurse. The other ones I have been have happened with patients being wheeled. I have known them suddenly go unconscious (though one I am pretty sure was faking it). I remember having to look for the nearest buzzer, press it then dart back to the patient to stop them falling from the chair. There were some where vomiting was a problem, which meant it would be unsafe to tilt them back to support them due to the risk they could aspirate on the vomit. This made time of the essence.
What I needed on both occasions was a way of activating the emergency alarm without reaching a bedside. The thing I really wanted was something like the panic alarm but one which could operate on the same signal as the activation of the ward emergency system (preferable the buzzer). The panic alarm is a security measure and would give an inappropriate response. The illustration above is what I think it could look like, with a flick back cover to avoid accidental pressing.
Now, will that work?
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