8.When a patient calls for help at Seton Medical Center,"Hi,Mr.Rogers,can I help you?"says a nurse; it's never a problem finding the nurse.It's because they all wear locator tags that are part of a wireless system that tracks their movements on the floor."You can even tell when they are walking down the hallway."says James Hattori.
This system made by Hill-Rom uses infrared(红外线的)signals to detect when nurses enter a room to answer a call.The Hill-Rom devices look like a mini computer mouse.Some hospitals are putting them in nurses'kitchens.Staff can talk and listen through a wall unit to nurses or even to patients in other rooms."We can put the time we were spending hunting staff down,trying to find and locate them to much better use,"says a staff member from Seton.Hill-Rom says it has systems installed in more than 850 U.S.hospitals.
Some nurses worry that the devices will be used to listen in on conversations and scrutinize their movements."I'm not wearing mine.I will still meet my patient's needs but I will not wear this badge."Annette Bearden is among dozens of nurses at Eden Medical Center who staged an active protest two months ago and hid their badges though they were later recovered."You know it makes me not feel like a professional.It makes me feel like that someone has to watch me to make sure I am doing my job."
"The biggest reason we installed this technology is because our old call system is about 25 years old,"says a hospital manager.For hospitals this is a case of technology allowing,perhaps forcing people to better make use of their time.Officials at Eden don't deny they monitor how long it takes nurses to respond to calls but say their main concern is patient care."I think it is one tool that we can use in measuring overall performance but by itself it is not a valid disciplinary tool,"says an Eden spokesperson.
Eden is expanding its system with hopes the nurse will eventually accept the new technology,but back at Seton where it's been in place for about two years,there is no uneasiness."Once the staff actually find out how advantageous it can be for them and the patients,well,actually it became very popular."
In Castro Valley,California,the Eden Medical Center spent almost three hundred thousand dollars to install the Hill-Rom systems on two floors.Eden hopes to get more of the systems for other floors.
73.Why is it easy to find a nurse at Seton Medical Center?B
A.The nurses are on television.
B.The nurses wear locator badges.
C.Every patient has his/her own nurse.
D.Each room has a telephone.
74.How can the staff talk to their patients when they are not in the same room?C
A.With hand signals. B.Through microphones in the pocket.
C.Through a wall unit. D.With infrared signals on the doors.
75.According to the passage,the underlined word"scrutinize"(paragraph 3)probably meansA.
A.watch closely B.see inside
C.scan word by word D.make right
76.How did the nurses at Eden Medical Center react to the badges?D
A.The nurses really liked the badges.
B.They threw the locator badges away.
C.They refused to work.
D.They protested and concealed the badges.
77.According to the administrators of the hospital,Eden Medical Center,the application of the Hill-Rom devices mainly aims atD.
A.introducing modern technology
B.adding a tool for discipline
C.replacing the old call system
D.improving the service for patients.