A small change to patient calls can mean better rest
On the 25-bed postpartum ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital, call buzzers used to ring more than 100 times a day. As part of the trust’s Silent Hospital pilot, ward staff swapped them for handheld devices. A patient’s call now goes quietly to their assigned midwife, then to a colleague if that person is busy, while the bathroom emergency cords stay audible. Mothers surveyed after the switch reported better sleep and less anxiety, and the trust reports that average stays fell by more than half a day. The results come from one ward’s pilot, with no published evaluation yet, but a hospital group in Norfolk is already adapting the model for two hospitals it is rebuilding. Many Terra Studio projects start the same way, with one place and one problem. Fellows have built a rooftop solar guide for Delhi residents, a waste dashboard for San Diego County’s cities, and water-risk maps for people living in Southern Spain.On the 25-bed postpartum ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital, call buzzers used to ring more than 100 times a day. As part of the trust’s Silent Hospital pilot, ward staff swapped them for handheld devices. A patient’s call now goes quietly to their assigned midwife, then to a colleague if that person is busy, while the bathroom emergency cords stay audible. Mothers surveyed after the switch reported better sleep and less anxiety, and the trust reports that average stays fell by more than half a day. The results come from one ward’s pilot, with no published evaluation yet, but a hospital group in Norfolk is already adapting the model for two hospitals it is rebuilding. Many Terra Studio projects start the same way, with one place and one problem. Fellows have built a rooftop solar guide for Delhi residents, a waste dashboard for San Diego County’s cities, and water-risk maps for people living in Southern Spain.Expert summary pending. Showing the newcomer version.