Story Outline

Nurse Tracking Technology From a news story by CNN San Francisco Reporter James Hattori August 2003

I. At Seton Medical Center, it’s not hard to find a nurse.

A. Seton nurses wear locator badges
B. Hill-Rom made the wireless system that tracks nurses.
C. When nurses go into rooms, infra red signals detect their presence.
D. Even in the hallways, the devices can find the nurses.

II. Hospital officials say the devices provide better patient care.

A. They used to spend too much time trying to find nurses.
B. Through a wall unit, staff can talk to nurses.
C. Even patients can be heard in their rooms.
D. Nurses think the locator badges listen to their conversations.

III. Eden Medical Center nurses are unhappy with the devices.

A. Annette Bearden is a nurse at Eden.
B. She and other nurses took part in a protest.
C. The nurses hid their badges instead of wearing them.
D. The badges made the nurses feel unprofessional.

IV. Hill Rom has installed tracking systems in over 850 hospitals.

A. Eden Medical Center’s call system was twenty-five years old.
B. Eden wanted the new technology to provide better patient care.
C. A hospital spokesperson said the system measures overall performance.
D. Some nurses say the tracking system is Big Brotherism.

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