Abstract

A rapid response health care communications system for providing rapid and reliable health services to patients located within or outside a health care facility, such as an acute-care hospital, includes personnel locator for identifying both the type and the location of health care personnel, such as doctors, nurses, interns, and the like; and personnel communicating network for communicating with certain of such personnel from a central location to direct them to patient locations where their need is paramount. A patient response communication network is provided for communicating with the patient or with the patient's room from the central location to identify the patient's needs and the personnel required to respond to those needs. A central console at the central location includes a plurality of locator panels, one for each floor of the facility, each of which include indicator lamps for identifying the particular location of the health care personnel within the facility. The console further includes a device for storing and retrieving a patient's medical profile to assist the health care coordinator in making an informed judgment as to the type of care required for a particular patient and the type of health care personnel needed to provide the required care. In addition, an out-of-hospital communication network using auto-dialing telephones is provided to allow outpatients to communicate from outside the facility with the health care coordinator to assist the outpatients in rapidly and efficiently receiving appropriate advice and health care as indicated by the patient medical profile and for responding to emergency situations.