What Are Pagers Used for in Hospitals?

Some might relate pagers and paging systems as 'old technology' and things like mobile phones are a 'better' choice of communicating. But that would be a misconception and under sight about pagers or buzzers and why they are still being used in hospitals today.

While some hospitals don't use pagers, a report in 2017 (revised) by the Journal of Hospital Medicine cited around 80% of hospitals are still using pagers and there are very many using them today. So are there any real reasons exactly why those paging systems remain popular. The alphanumeric or text pager springs to mind (as seen on TV & films since the 80's), but in reality here in the UK while there are STILL 'crash systems' (as they are sometimes called) being used, those are probably not the majority of paging systems on-site in hospitals and healthcare in 2025 and 2026. One member of one of the recent governments in the UK (Matt Hancock) said that all paging systems should be removed from hospitals (in the UK), but the reality is, there is little to replace them with that works as well or as efficiently. Mr Hancock at the time really did not understand that the most reliable communications devices on-site are in fact pagers!

From experience, trying to use regular licensed paging systems inside to the outside of an x-ray room will fail because of the often seen lead protected room. So those areas are really not targeted and never work satisfactorily in practice. But there are so many other areas of communications in a hospital that pagers and paging systems are going to be around for some time.

Here are a few examples of where paging systems are in common use in healthcare and hospitals in the United Kingdom in 2025/2026:

* Call patients back for consultation when its time for their appointment using a patient paging systems.

* Restaurant customer paging: recall customers when food is prepared for collection.

* Calling buttons that message pagers at unmanned reception desks.

* Emergency call buttons to pagers

* Fire alarm to pagers (for deaf persons on-site when a fire alarm is turned on).

* Calling buttons attached to beds in the wards to get attention or help from staff

* Many other examples and uses

As this short of equipment list shows, there are so many uses for paging systems even today in any hospital. And if you consider just how many different sections or specialist areas there are in hospitals, with a need to recall patients then pagers can run in to thousands on-site. LRS has a complete hospital paging solution and we can advise exactly what you need for any given use.

Thinking about patient flow, patient pager solutions help tremendously in getting patients attended to in a manageable way and with the stress and strain of the NHS and other private hospitals these days currently in the UK, removing paging systems would certainly be a backward move.

Those 'crash systems' are still in operation in most hospitals we talk to. Those 'crash system' types of equipment often operate at high on-site power to achieve coverage throughout the hospital (typically 25 watts but can be higher) and that remains stable and effective method of communication in emergency over large sites. Trying to use mobile phone technology, even with the boosters that could be used pales in comparison to those high power paging solutions. But some emergency system suppliers are doing exactly that!

It is unlikely that on-site paging systems will vanish from hospitals and healthcare any time soon, even if ill advised government officials might suggest that; patients and staff will be recalled by those 'old technology' paging systems (that are actually using the latest technology) for some time to come. And paging technology also moves forward with new innovation also from a number of companies.

Written by A B McKenzie of LRS UK. Anthony has extensive experience in the UK paging sector since 2000. (c) LRS UK 2025.