The Sync Badge is here – hands-free, wearable hospital communication

2-minute read

Designed for fast, reliable collaboration, enhanced workflow efficiency and emergency communication

In Q1 2025, Stryker announced the launch of the Sync Badge, a hands-free, wearable hospital communication device that helps enhance workflow efficiency in dynamic, hands-on patient care environments.

The challenges of being able to communicate with team members when you need help, and to access the information you need, can be exacerbated in fast-paced, hands-on environments like EDs, ORs, labor and delivery departments and neonatal units.

Smartphones absolutely have a place, but hands-on care can sometimes make their use challenging. This is because when your hands are on the patient – especially if you’re wearing PPE – unlocking a smartphone, logging into an app and searching for a name in a directory might not be an option. And continually logging into the EHR to search for critical information can consume precious time.

The Sync Badge may help by enabling seamless communication and collaboration hands-free and allowing you to receive essential information directly from the EHR, nurse call system and other hospital systems:

• Communicate as easily as you speak: Say, “Okay Vocera” to wake up the Sync Badge, worn at the neckline, and use voice commands to reach contacts by name, role, group or extension. Urgently broadcast to team members for assistance or to assemble a rapid response group. Call people who are outside the hospital. Make, receive, transfer and forward calls. If you need additional privacy during a call, hold the Sync Badge to your ear, and it automatically switches to handset mode.
• Reach the entire care team seamlessly: The Sync Badge is part of our enterprise workflow platform that includes not only hands-free, wearable devices, but also software for smartphones and desktop workstations. This means you can communicate seamlessly with team members across units and roles whether they use a smartphone, a VoIP or landline phone, or a pager.
• Summon help at the press of a button: The Sync Badge has a dedicated panic button you can discreetly press in a moment of threat to quickly open a communication channel with your facility’s response or security team. Responders can hear what’s happening, and can locate you even if you’re unable to speak. In a less emergent situation, you can use voice commands to broadcast to nearby colleagues for assistance.
• Let the alarms and notifications you need come to you: Receive actionable alarms, critical lab results and STAT order notifications directly on the Sync Badge.* Through integration with Stryker’s Vocera Engage middleware, the Sync Badge can receive information from your EHR, nurse call system, patient monitoring systems, medical devices, scheduling systems, connected beds and stretchers, and more.

Learn more

Stryker is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. Alongside our customers around the world, we impact more than 150 million patients annually. To learn more about the latest in hands-free, wearable hospital communication, visit the Sync Badge product page.

*Delivery of secondary alarms requires Engage Medical Device Alarm Notification (EMDAN), FDA 510(k)-cleared middleware, part of Stryker’s Vocera Engage middleware. Capabilities are based on your facility’s protocols and technology configuration.