This article was machine-translated from French and is being reviewed. Prices are in Algerian dinars excl. VAT.
A nurse call system allows a patient to alert nursing staff from their bed or bathroom, and for staff to know which room the call comes from. In a clinic it gathers call points, one module per room, a door indicator, a nursing station, power supply and cabling.
In short
- A call starts from a button, a manipulator or a sanitary pull cord, passes through the room module, then appears on the door indicator and nursing station.
- A good installation allows the origin of the call to be identified, prioritized and logged.
- Details (call types, cancellation, history) vary by product. Examples on this page follow the Legrand Mosaic technical guide March 2026.
The components of a nurse call system
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Call button | Triggers the call by pressure, at bedside |
| Manipulator | Box on a cord, connected to a wall outlet |
| Sanitary pull cord | Pull cord from the shower or toilet |
| Room module | Collects signals from the room and transmits them (the “door block” at Legrand, with its indicators and presence button). |
| Door indicator | Shows in the corridor which room is calling (the “corridor window” at Legrand). |
| Management module. | Collects calls from several rooms (3 rooms for the Legrand LEG078212 module). |
| Nursing station | Display and audible signal indicating call origin (numbered indicators on Legrand Mosaic). |
| Power supply | Powers the system components |
| Wiring | Connects rooms, indicators and stations |
On the Legrand Mosaic range we install, the store references a 3‑way management module (ref. LEG078212, “Nurse call 3DIR management”). A “direction” is a room from which calls originate: one module handles three. It is not the staff station, which has a separate display. The 24 V power supply (ref. LEG078289) and display are quoted. Details in our guide Legrand Mosaic nurse call.
The path of a call, from the room to the station
Here is the flow of a normal call on Legrand Mosaic, illustrating the general principle.
- The patient presses the button or lever, or pulls the sanitary pull.
- The door block indicator and corridor indicator blink red slowly for a bed call, quickly for a sanitary call.
- The nurse station displays the room and emits an audible signal.
- For a bed call, staff can acknowledge from the station: the bell stops and the indicator changes from blinking to steady. For a sanitary call, acknowledgment from the station is impossible: staff must go to the sanitary room.
- Upon entering the room, staff presses the door block button to signal presence: the call is then answered. Upon leaving, they press again and all indicators turn off. The call is thus settled on site by a person present in the room.
Order of steps, tones and cancellation depend on the chosen product.
What a good installation must allow
Identify the origin
Staff must know which room is calling, and whether the call comes from the bed or the bathroom, without having to check. The door indicator is for corridor staff, the nurse station for bedside staff.
Prioritise
A call from a bathroom can signal a fall. The system must at least distinguish the type of call point and highlight the most urgent. Legrand’s guide on Mosaic describes a normal call, a sanitary call, an emergency call (help requested by already present staff) and a biomedical alarm (device take‑off), with priorities among them. It also describes the case of a new call while staff is already in a room: in rooms where staff is present, the indicators blink white to alert them.
Trace
Knowing the time and wait of each call helps adjust team organization. In Legrand diagrams, traceability goes through a telephone coupling product linked to the standard (PABX or IPBX), with DECT cordless phones to receive calls and a computer to consult them. This telephony set is supplied outside Legrand. The forwarding is done on a light, a ring, a synthesis light or a DECT. The consulted guide does not describe an interface with sounder; connection to the IT network goes through a dry contact interface box.
Power supply and cabling: points to care for
In Algeria, power cuts require deciding from the start whether nurse call must remain available during a outage. Legrand states that to keep working during a sector outage, the system must be connected to a backup network (generator and/or UPS), and that on outages longer than 1 s, calls in progress before the outage may be lost. A 3‑way management module consumes 39 to 300 mA at 24 V; UPS power is calculated on all devices.
The wiring connects each room to the rest of the system. Between the management module and the door block, Legrand specifies 2 pairs of 6/10e up to 50 m, or 2 pairs of 9/10e up to 100 m. Provide dedicated conduits and reserve ducts. Wired or wireless: see our guide wired or wireless nurse call.
Legrand also states that these products affect personal safety and must be installed by a qualified electrician, with an off‑load test before commissioning and after each modification.
According to the technology, a faulty nurse call point may only be seen when someone activates it. On Mosaic, operator contacts are normally closed and the troubleshooting guide associates certain faults with hallway light indications. Nevertheless test each point at commissioning, then regularly. AsloTech provides maintenance for nurse call systems: its terms and price are defined on a quote, during the study.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a call button and a sanitary pull?
The button or operator is within reach of the patient in bed. The sanitary pull‑cord is located in the shower or toilet, where the patient may be standing, sitting or lying: its cord must remain accessible in these situations, which is set by the plan layout.
What happens during a power outage?
It depends on the planned backup power: without a backup network, operation is not guaranteed, and according to Legrand ongoing calls may be lost during a break of more than one second. It is a matter of our nurse call specification.
Is a nursing station required per floor?
There is no universal rule: it depends on the number of care units, night staff, and distance between rooms and stations. On Mosaic, a display monitors 6 directions and can be extended to up to 4 secondary displays (care room, break room). The number of stations is defined during the study.
Are you equipping or renovating a clinic? Present your project on the nurse call page for health facilities: we assess your premises, then prepare a quote.