Why Do Doctors Still Use Pagers?

[HuckleB]

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2016/02/why_do_doctors_still_use_pagers.html

"or most people, the pager represents a sad, humorous relic of the past—a reminder of the primitive time before cellphones, Google, and the Twitterverse. But for doctors like me, pagers are still an important part of everyday life. It’s estimated that about 85 percent of hospitals still rely on pagers for communication, and during a recent episode of post-call delirium, I wondered why.

The first pagers—hefty 6-ounce boxes—were introduced to physicians in New York City in 1950. Over the next four decades, the device became a status symbol both inside and outside of the medical profession; after all, wearing one meant you were so in-demand you needed to be reachable anytime, anywhere. By 1994, there were more than 61 million pagers in service worldwide. But the advent of cellular phones led to a rapid decline in beeper use, and there are now a mere few million pagers still out there, many in hospitals, and all of them slowly and annoyingly beeping their way to obsolescence. If doctors were among the first adopters of paging technology, they will almost certainly be the last to abandon it.

Although the pager seems out of date, doctors often take perverse pride in carrying one, at least at first. I still remember the excitement and anticipation of receiving my first pager as a medical student. It meant the years spent hunched over a textbook were over; I was entering the fray of patient care. That feeling quickly turned to irritation as I became painfully aware of pagers’ shortcomings. During medical residency shifts that span a day and a night and then some, I have grown to despise my pager with a burning rage previously reserved for Boston drivers. The device’s rude, sudden blare, with a knack for jolting me awake on call just as I drift into a shallow, anxiety-ridden sleep, now triggers a visceral reaction. My heart leaps into overdrive and my palms transform into a sweaty wetland that occasionally facilitates “accidentally” dropping the bleeping thing. I don’t have children, but I wonder if the way my tiny pager loudly dictates its demands around the clock is like having a baby. Except my beeper will never love me back.

Surely there’s a better way for doctors to communicate, yet pagers remain the maddening norm. Why? For one thing, they’re low-maintenance. The batteries in pagers don’t need to be changed more than once every few weeks, even with heavy use. That means the system will work even during a disaster or power outage, when it might be hard to find a working outlet to charge a cellphone.

..."


------------------------------------------------

Well, then...

[LiberalArkie]

1. And they work in basements, way out in the forests etc

I got a page in a cave about 50 miles from where I lost cell phone coverage. There are satellite pagers but they do not work in basements and such but do work on a boat on the ocean. The old vhf pagers have a pretty good range and are the preferred for on call people. Your time on call, pick up the pager.

[zalinda]

2. With cell phones, any one can call them

and do. The lure of answering a cell phone can be all consuming, just ask people who have ended up in car accidents. A pager is used because you can focus in what is important while you are with a patient.

The more you use a cell phone and especially for texting, the more you want to answer the ringtone. It's weird, but never understood the appeal until I started texting.

Z

[icymist]

3. Most doctors do carry both, but their cell phones are usually personal.

Many years of working in nursing homes brought about my observation of seeing the phone numbers for doctors displayed in a very prominent place. This makes the number readily available without having to search for it. A lot of people can view these numbers, nurse aides, maintenance staff, etc... Using a pager gives them the option of calling back from another phone without giving out the personal cell phone number.

[Warpy]

4. They work everywhere, they don't need to be turned off at concerts and the like

and it's sort of a fail safe system since their answering service likely follows up with a phone message.

I had to use one at work, also. Now nurses largely use cell phones.

[SheilaT]

5. I had no idea anyone anywhere still used pagers.

I think of them as a 1970s technology. My brother the IT guy who was on call had one then. So did flight attendants. Probably pilots, also, but I hung out with flight attendants.

I'm actually amazed to learn they are still around.