Helpingly for hospitals.
We have created a "simple" solution to a dilemma that seems to be the same in hospitals more or less everywhere. Some call it a disruptive alarm solution, others a no-brainer that should have been implemented decades ago. We call it Helpingly. It enables patients and nurses to connect in a direct way, and it gives patients the option to specify their needs for help. This makes it easier for the nurses to know who to send in, and to know if it is a medical emergency or the patient simply need some non-urgent assistance by the bed, or just want to ask a question.
Easy signup – no sensitive data needed
We have built Helpingly to be easy to set up: A Super Admin at your hospital registers a few nurses on the Helpingly platform. These nurses can then register one or more patients without needing any data other than a nickname and a room/bed number. A unique QR-code is generated on the spot for each patient and will connect them instantly. All that is needed is a local wifi, a mobile network or any other wireless network (Starlink). The patients can start using Helpingly at once – differentiating the alarms depending on their needs. Giving the nurses a "heads up" and a chance to prepare better before going in to the patient.
We have created a few scenarios below, in order to give you an idea of the principles and features of our platform and app (Images, names and stories are fabricated).
NURSE (HELPER)
The nurse's "Work Page" lists her/his patients for the day...and their alarm status.
PATIENT (HELPEE)
The patient's page – three alarm buttons and an opportunity to check messages from the staff.
PING RED FOR AN EMERGENCY.
Julie felt dizzy after surgery, she pinged RED.
While texting the good news to her family, she realized that she had a hard time focusing. So, she pressed Emergency and was happy to see on the display that Nurse Johan replied in just a few seconds...
The benefits for both Johan and Julie are obvious. He can let her know in a second that he is on his way – "I heard you, I see you" – fulfilling a fundamental human need for recognition. Needed the most in a vulnerable situation. Julie can lean back and rest assure that a living person – actually heard her call for help and actively responded to it.
Compared to only knowing that the call for help was sent – but with no indication what-so-ever that a person heard you, or will come in one minute or fifteen, or at all.
If you have ever booked an Uber or taxi in a foreign city late at night, you know how good it feels to see on your screen that "Linda will be there in 3 minutes" and even see her little car-icon move towards you on the map...
The traditional alarm button
on the wall, or by the bed, is still there to be used if needed.
When Johan accepted Julie's alarm, her info moved up to the top of the list on his phone. The list shows patients assigned to Johan and his colleagues on this day.
PING ORANGE FOR ASSISTANCE...
Robert's tube fell out, he pinged ORANGE.
Robert didn't panic, but he thought it was better that a nurse helped him to insert the tube into the socket than trying himself with only one hand. Eva "answered" to his alarm after a few minutes.
Being stuck in a bed alone in a room can be wonderful when things are good, but a nightmare if they aren't. The line is thin between the two, especially in a hospital, knowing how busy staff is.
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Having the chance to ask for assistance by the bed – like moving a pillow, or checking the bandade – when it is not an emergency, creates a far better dynamic from start. The nurses know that the patient knows that "we" know that she or he is not in danger. On both sides, the understanding and patience for the time between the alarm and the help, gives better odds for the service to be a good experience for both of them.
Robert's alarm moved up to the top on Eva's phone. She is not yet certified for medical assignments, and she has more patients assigned to her. A majority of alarms do not require high medical competence.
...OR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Anne needed painkillers so she pinged
ORANGE and then selected "Medicine".
This day, Sabine was one of three certified nurses in the department, and she had gotten to know Anne a little, so she could guess what she needed and brought the medicine on her way to Anne's room. Knowing this via a simple icon on the screen saved Sabine to walk into Anne to ask, and then back to get the medicine, and back again to her bed a second time.
The direct communication gave Sabine a chance to use her time better and give Anne more time for a check-up. They also had time for a compassionate moment together. A win-win on so many levels.
PING YELLOW FOR QUESTIONS...OR JUST A GLASS OF WATER.
Mr Lee had no pain and was not in a rush...
After a few days in the hospital, Mr Lee – or Tony as he nicknamed himself when being registered on Helpingly – was getting ready to be checked out. He was a kind man and used the Q&A a lot to find answers to his questions, having seen how hectic the days were for the staff...and saving time for a short chat with his favorite trainee nurse, Sofia.
At times, Tony was really affected by his injuries but felt very comfortable knowing he could just press any of the three buttons, knowing someone would always pick up his alarm.
A patient shall not have to specify any needs further than that in our opinon. But if they are fit enough and want to specify their needs... they will be better helped there and then, and their input will over time be extremely valuable for the staff and the hospital, which will benefit themselves as well.
As a trainee, Sofia was given a dedicated selection of assignments for all patients, saving lots of time for her certified colleagues, while having a great overview of what was going on.
ADMIN PLATFORM
Setting up Helpingly for one department at a hospital is a simple procedure. Besides wifi or a 3-5G network access, all you need is to give the mandate to 1-2 people taking on the role of "Administrators". They can then manage all the features and services on the platform.
Any Helper can also be given the role of an "Admin" and easily reach all the admin features that are accessible directly on her or his mobile phone. But if more admin work is to be done, the preferred screen size is a desktop computer or a tablet:​​
DASHBOARD – A "summary page" of what's going on right now.
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MANAGE HELPEES – Register, assign, edit, checkout etc
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MANAGE HELPERS – Register, assign, edit,etc
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ALL ALARMS – Get an overview of all alarms in motion
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ASSISTANCE CATEGORIES – Categorize the assistance help needed – medical or non-medical etc
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Q&A – Manage the most common questions with great answers.
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SURVEY FORMS – Send group messages, food order forms, and other surveys to all the patients.
(For demo access: Contact)