What is an IP Nurse Call System?

Within the world of nurse call systems, there is a surprising amount of depth to the options available to healthcare providers like hospitals and care homes. Nurse call systems can come in a wide range of different types, models, and structures; some systems make use of wireless and radio technology, while others utilise hard-wired internal structures that are embedded in a facility’s infrastructure – some even take a combined, hybrid approach, including both wired and wireless elements. 

Another element entirely to the more modern systems seen in healthcare environments, is Internet Protocol, or IP as it’s more commonly known. IP technology is utilised across many different aspects of nurse call systems, including within our own range of systems. But what does it actually mean to be an “IP nurse call system”? How does IP technology manifest within these systems, and is there such a thing as relying too much on IP within a piece of medical technology? 

IP Nurse Call Systems: Defined

When discussing the concept of an IP nurse call system, it is important to understand the subtleties to how these systems work, and which parts of the nurse call solution are actually relevant to IP technology. In a majority of cases, an IP nurse call system can be referring to any model that utilises IP across a number of its components. For example, a nurse call manufacturer might refer to their products as being “IP nurse call systems” if they include features like reporting software that integrates with smartphones via IP.

Then, there are the rarer nurse call systems whose entire architectures fully consist of IP technology. For example, there are systems designed in a way that each bedhead unit connects directly to the LAN – in other words, IP forms the actual nurse-call communications architecture. Systems designed in this way may be referred to as “end-to-end” IP nurse call systems, or “IP-based” nurse call systems.

Are IP Nurse Call Systems wired or wireless?

This is a bit of a trick question – the presence of IP elements in a system doesn’t dictate whether it is a wired or wireless system. When an IP element is being used in a nurse call system, IP is describing how information is being communicated between the different parts of the system. On the other hand, when a nurse call system is defined as being wired, wireless, or hybrid, this is referring to how the nurse call system is installed and how the different parts of the system are connected. 

To use an example, a wired nurse call system can be classified as an IP nurse call system (if warranted), if the physical cabling used throughout the system is connected to a hospital or care home’s ethernet/IP infrastructure. On the flipside, a wireless nurse call system would probably not be classed as being an IP system, if all of the wireless communications are achieved via an alternative like Radio Frequency (RF) solutions. 

In short, an IP nurse call system is not a fourth category of system alongside wired, wireless, and hybrid solutions – it is instead referring to a different, parallel function to do with how data itself is being communicated within the system. Keep this in mind when shopping for a certain style of nurse call system for your facility, as an IP system can technically encompass a much wider range of options, good and bad, than you might initially think.

What are some common elements that utilise IP?

In modern nurse call systems, there are a variety of different features that make use of IP technology. As the healthcare industry shifts, with emerging technologies and escalating methods of delivering best practices, more and more systems are capable of using internet connectivity to achieve things. Below are some of the more common examples of how a modern nurse call solution will use IP:

1. Call Buttons

Nurse call systems have evolved from the days of manual bells and alarms to attract the attention of caregivers. Nowadays, a call button within a hospital or care home can come in a multitude of different formats, from standard bedside buttons, to wall-mounted pull cords, to portable wrist wearables and pendants, and much more. For all of these options, the method through which the call is being transmitted to the carer could be via connection to the healthcare facilities IP network.    

2. SmartPhone Integration

In everyday life, it is essentially a given that most employees of a healthcare organisation will be using some form of smartphone in their day-to-day lives – and this fact makes the concept of integrated care systems with mobiles an easy win. In a nurse call system with this capability, such as the ones in our own catalogue, calls and alerts from the system can be sent to staff smartphones, tablets, and mobile apps like Altra Go. When doing so, these calls will ordinarily travel over an IP network, usually using Wi-Fi within the building. Integration with smartphones in this way therefore stands out as one of the more obvious ways that a modern nurse call system can utilise IP.

3. Reporting Software

Nurse call systems in the 21st century should be looking to provide more than just the basic utility of enabling calls between patients and nurses. Systems should also provide some form of reporting and analytics; this is important in allowing healthcare workers to assess the performance of staff, the system itself, and how to measure up better to common healthcare regulations and NHS care standards in an effort to improve the service. It is very typical for the reporting software provided by systems to be enacted through IP.

4. Cloud Services

Another final feature of modern nurse call systems that is likely to utilise IP technology, is any kind of cloud functionality. Our own CT Cloud Remote Reporting solution, for example, is evidence of this; sending nurse call data to any similar type of cloud reporting, monitoring or management platform will require some form of IP connectivity.

What are the advantages of IP-enabled systems?

Having a nurse call system that is able to utilise IP can provide several benefits unique to this technology, covering things like how effectively data can be communicated between users, to how things like performance can be assessed over time. We will discuss these advantages further in the table below:

Is it risky to rely too much on IP?

While IP is a very useful tool in making nurse call systems more effective for lots of different types of facilities, it is important to recognise that there are some legitimate drawbacks, and even risks, to relying too heavily on IP.

What is the best middle ground in a nurse call system?

Some of the most prominent issues in relying on IP too much in a nurse call system, are the problems that can arise if the connection either fails or is interrupted. A nurse call system can avoid this if the proper steps are taken and closely adhered to, but having a single point of failure in this manner is quite the risk in a clinical environment. What a Courtney Thorne nurse call system provides is a more hybrid approach, combining reliable, industry-recognised Radio 1 technology with IP elements. The advantages of this include:

Radio and the reliability of a combined approach

We use top-of-the-range Category 1 Radio technology in our nurse call systems that is designed specifically for transmitting and receiving calls. Category 1 Radio represents the highest standard of wireless performance for clinical situations, and is the most reliable solution available in a nurse call system. As well as this, our call systems do not have to rely entirely on a site’s IP network, like end-to-end IP systems do – they instead utilise a mixture of different technologies, eliminating the issue of having a single point of failure while also making our systems far more reliable.

Reducing the complexity of the network

IP is a very important component in any nurse call system, and one that is utilised across all of the systems in our range. However, by choosing to use it only when most opportune, for example, in the delivery of things like our CT Cloud Reporting solution, integration with SMART technology, and more, we are able to place much less strain on a healthcare organisation’s network infrastructure. 

Our calls, by using RF instead of IP, will not be competing with things like ordinary Wi-Fi/IP traffic from computers, phones and other networked equipment. This has the added benefit of reducing the complexity of the IP network overall, as with a combined Radio/IP approach, individual wireless call devices can be kept outside that IP network while still functioning reliably within the system.

Easier deployment, installation, and maintenance

With an end-to-end IP structure, a nurse call system needs all of its component parts to fit into that infrastructure, which can be limiting in terms of the types of accessories, additional features, and integrations that can be added. Our nurse call systems are more flexible by comparison, and can be fully integrated with a range of different external systems, rather than forcing every device onto the same network architecture. With this in mind, organisations can achieve the same modern standard of functionality from things like cloud services, reporting, mobile applications and integrations without making every nurse call device an IP endpoint.

When a nurse call system is designed in this way, you will also find that it is much easier to deploy, upgrade, and relocate than many types of IP nurse call systems. Our systems, being fully wireless in nature and utilising RF technology, can be easily installed and relocated if needed without needing to worry about things like Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi configuration for every single individual accessory.

Final thoughts on IP nurse call systems

IP technology has an important role to play in the modern nurse call system, enabling everything from reporting and remote management to smartphone integration and wider connectivity. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire system needs to depend on an IP network to function – this is why our nurse call systems are designed to combine the benefits of modern IP connectivity with dedicated Category 1 radio technology. 

Our solutions provide a more flexible approach for healthcare organisations that takes the best from both technologies and puts it into one package. The result is something that is easier to install, adapt, and upgrade over time, while maintaining industry-leading reliability. Whether you’re upgrading an existing system or planning a new installation, our team can help you identify the right solution for your healthcare environment. Get in touch with the team at Courtney Thorne today to discuss your requirements and discover a nurse call solution designed around the needs of your organisation.

Written by

Barry Vacher

Date

29.09.26