What exactly is a nurse call system? Where did it come from? Who regulates nurse call systems? Check out A Brief History of Nurse Call for quick answers to those questions.

To find the origins of the nurse call system, travel back to the Victorian era when medicine and healthcare were in the midst of reformation.

The earliest version of an alerting system for nursing care was adapted from the bell systems for servants in affluent homes. Florence Nightingale, at the forefront of modern nursing techniques, took notice of the system and applied it to her caring environment. She later remarked during her discussion of hospital requirements that, “Without a system of this kind, a nurse is converted to a pair of legs.” Over time, this system evolved into hand bells that patients would ring at their bed side, leading to the term “call bell system” that is still used today.

From its humble beginnings, the nurse call system has developed into a vital component of for healthcare facilities around the world. Most modern care facilities are in some way required to provide and maintain a nurse or emergency call system for residents and staff alike. Nurses are the keystone of healthcare facilities, and the nurse call system allows them to provide the greatest care to patients.

For over 40 years, TekTone has been a manufacturer of nurse call systems ranging from hardwired to wireless, low-voltage to IP-based and integration platforms for streamlined notifications. The nurse call system has developed side-by-side with the healthcare industry and technological innovations, and we have maintained a spot in the leading group of nurse call innovators.

More information about the evolution of nurse call systems can be found here.