 Hospitalized patients often require assistance with basic self-care tasks, such as using the toilet, ambulating, and eating; they ask for assistance by using the call light. Therefore, a patients level of satisfaction with nursing care depends principally upon the patients perception of how well the nursing staff has been able to meet his or her needs. The call light can be a lifeline for hospitalized patients, but it can also impose considerable demands on nurses time. Several studies have documented the unfavorable effects of patients frequent use of call lights on the effectiveness of patient-care management on inpatient units, which may already be compromised by staffing shortages. 