Design and Prototyping of a Microcontroller-Based Patient Call System for Hospital Wards in Sokoto State

Background: Manual patient-to-nurse communication in Nigerian hospital wards causes response delays that can compromise patient safety. Wired nurse call systems exist but are expensive to install and maintain in resource-limited settings. Aim: This project designed and prototyped a low-cost microcontroller-based wireless patient call system for hospital wards in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Methods: Patient bedside units comprising a push-button and an RF transmitter module (433 MHz) communicated with a nurse station receiver controlled by an Arduino Mega. The receiver displayed the calling bed number on a 20x4 LCD and sounded an audible alert. Ten patient-unit and one nurse-station units were fabricated and installed in a 10-bed ward simulation. Results: All call events were correctly received and displayed within 0.9 seconds. System range was reliable up to 25 metres in a ward environment. Mean time to nurse response during simulated trials decreased by 38% compared with baseline manual calling. Cost per unit was NGN 4,200. Conclusion: The wireless patient call system effectively improves response time and is affordable for Nigerian hospital deployment. Wireless protocol upgrade to ZigBee for larger hospitals and multi-floor coverage is recommended. Keywords: patient call system, nurse call, microcontroller, hospital, Sokoto State.