MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Challenges When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US in 2020, MercyOne Elkader Medical Center, a Critical Access Hospital in Elkader, Iowa, needed a means to effectively and safely communicate while working in isolation rooms and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). “We initially tried using walkie talkies to help clinicians communicate with the rest of the care team and ask for supplies or assistance when working in a COVID patient room,” recalled Katie Pope, MLT(ASCP) CM , Education & Strategic Initiatives Manager at MercyOne Elkader Medical Center. “It didn’t take long for us to realize that the radios were cumbersome and had muffled audio. We knew we needed a more sophisticated solution to help us communicate efficiently, without risking c

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