ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital, has recently installed the multi-award-winning BEAMS (Bedside Equipment Alarm Monitoring System) on one of its wards, to enhance patient safety in a timely manner and improve nursing efficiency and conditions. BEAMS at ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital has reduced the number of alarms taking more than 5 minutes to respond to by 57%, more than 30 minutes by 100%, and average response by 43% to 1 Minute 42 seconds.
BEAMS is a monitoring system developed for and with Sheffield Children’s Hospital by Tutum Medical Ltd to significantly improve response times for critical bedside alarms and is the only acoustic solution which listens for medical device alarms and notifies staff of the source, device and type of alarm. This allows staff to prioritise the most critical alarms, which supports improved patient outcomes, better workflow for nurses and reduced healthcare costs for hospitals.
Jenni France, Ward Manager at ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital said, “We had heard from other children’s hospitals how this simple and easy system was significantly improving response times to critical equipment alarms. We saw great results from a trial on Ward L30. Patient safety and reassurance for nursing staff markedly improved. We know immediately which patient’s device has raised an alarm and the urgency of the alarm so we can prioritise alarm responses in seconds. A quiet and calm children’s ward, who would have thought!”
Paul Rawlinson, Managing Director of Tutum Medical Ltd said, “We are delighted ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital have installed BEAMS and are seeing significant improvements in response times to alarms. Patient safety and better working conditions for nurses are vital especially at a time of nurse shortages and increased alarm fatigue. We are proud to be making a difference not just at ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital but on wards across the country with our unique system.”
BEAMS is the world’s only acoustic bedside equipment critical alarm monitoring system; it listens for specific alarms and when an alarm has been identified BEAMS notifies nurses which room needs attention, together with the type of alarm that has been triggered. BEAMS is designed to send the notification via WiFi to a nurse console display located at the nurse station, and to speakers along the corridors (which give a spoken notification). BEAMS creates its own Wi-Fi mesh network which removes the need to interface to hospital infrastructure.
Laura-Clare Whelan, Deputy Head of Nursing at ĢtvƵ Children’s, said: “BEAMS gives us the assurance and support for both the nursing staff and families that their care and safety is a priority to us. Patients and parents will know that if an alarm is sounding their nurse will respond, particularly when they do not feel able to call the nurse themselves.”
The BEAMS system by Tutum Medical Ltd is currently being trialled on other wards at ĢtvƵ Children’s Hospital as well as other hospitals across the country. BEAMS has won a number of prestigious awards over the last year and is currently shortlisted as a finalist in the 2023 HSJ Digital Awards.
For more information including the many benefits BEAMS can provide, to watch the video, or to book a free trial at your hospital, please visit: