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GOTHENBURG, Sweden

Ascom Wireless Solutions, a global provider of mission-critical communication systems, has introduced a revolution in the working practices of nurses with the launch of the new Ascom Myco smartphone this month. It is the first nurse- and patient-centric device, with unique features designed to make the nurse’s working day easier, improve efficiency and give more time for hands-on patient care. The Ascom Myco is the result of extensive research looking at how nurses work, from patient- and colleague interactions to information flows and mission-critical communications. Ascom Design Engineers studied nurses in hospitals around the world using qualitative interviews, observations and shadowing the nurses as they worked on the wards. The findings were fed into the design features of the Ascom Myco smartphone and the user interface.

Ascom Myco – at the heart of care. (Photo: Business Wire)

Less time on technology – more time with patients

According to the research a major issue with the nurse’s environment is stress, which can make it difficult to overview a situation and make an informed decision. Linnea Fogelmark, Portfolio Experience Designer at Ascom, explained the value of the user-centric design: “We want nurses to spend less time on technology and more with the patient, so we developed a whole new way of presenting information, which we call the patient-centric interface. With the Ascom Myco the nurse will immediately see in the home screen the patients assigned to her and which patients currently need her special attention. The Ascom Myco also has an intelligent segregation of essential apps from non-essential apps, so that mission-critical communications always overrule- all other applications.”

Reducing alarm fatigue

Ascom also found that one major issue in the nurses’ working environment was alarm fatigue, due to the high amount of alarms that nurses are exposed to from multiple devices for monitoring patients. The Ascom Myco makes sure the correct alarm is sent out directly to the responsible nurse. A unique top display shows what type of alarm is going off, where it is and how important it is, giving as much information as possible in a single glance, even when the device is held in a pocket. The reduction of alarm fatigue and stress ensures that the nurse can concentrate more on patient care.

Ellen Österdahl, Lead Experience Designer for Ascom Myco, added:

“We were quite shocked when we saw the amount of alarms that nurses are exposed to and the extent of alarm fatigue. Nurses are always occupied, so each time an alarm is received they are interrupted. Not every nurse needs to focus on every alarm going on around her. With the top display on the Ascom Myco the nurse is notified in a discrete way, she can just look down to the device, see what’s going on and decide how to react.”

Making life easier for the charge nurse

Ascom Myco is also designed to make the life of the charge nurse easier. When combined with the Ascom Unite middleware, it extends the reach of existing clinical systems by delivering time-sensitive information such as alarms from medical devices and patient monitors directly to the nurse’s mobile device. The middleware also has a built-in patient assignment module so the charge nurse can easily assign patients to the nurses and set an auto-escalation chain of two or three nurses for responding to the patients’ alarms.

A good return on investment

The Ascom Myco has a rugged design to withstand the physical and hygiene demands of the hospital environment. With multiple features for nurse decision support and patient management, and at the same time being so easy to use, it will become the essential nurse companion.

Mwila Kapema, Product Marketer at Ascom, explained, “We put a lot of effort into making the Ascom Myco extremely durable. It has a much longer operating life than a typical consumer device, both at the daily level, being available 24 hours a day, and passing from shift to shift. The Ascom Myco will also last many years longer than a consumer device, giving the hospital a good return on investment.”

For more information visit www.ascommyco.com.

ABOUT ASCOM WIRELESS SOLUTIONS

Ascom Wireless Solutions (www.ascom.com/ws) is a leading provider of on-site wireless communications for key segments such as hospitals, elderly care, independent living, manufacturing industries, secure establishments, retail and hotels. More than 75,000 systems are installed at major companies all over the world. The company offers a broad range of voice and professional messaging solutions, creating value for customers by supporting and optimizing their Mission-Critical processes. The solutions are based on VoWiFi, IP-DECT, nurse call and paging technologies, smartly integrated into existing enterprise systems. The company has subsidiaries in 13 countries and 1,200 employees worldwide. Founded in 1955 and based in Göteborg, Sweden, Ascom Wireless Solutions is part of the Ascom Group, listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141014005941/en/