Hospitals: Ready, Set, Start Tracking Assets in Real-Time!

Ready, Set... Start! Start Tracking Assets in Real-time for a Virtual Look at All the Activities Needed for Patient Care

Today’s post is inspired by the Lean Healthcare Exchange blog, sponsored by Healthcare Performance Partners, and written by Alex Maldonado, an associate with HPP. It’s a perfect example of why Enterprise Awareness and RTLS in hospitals are so important. You can read the whole post here: Ready, Set... ?, but listen to this from the intro:

If I could open a hospital’s rooftop like a can of sardines and just observe patient movements, staff workflow, and all the activities needed for patient care, I would. I would see how work is performed, communication is carried out, supplies and materials are handled, how areas are managed and how improvements are made.

Well, actually, Alex, you can – virtually speaking! Enterprise awareness and real-time location systems (RTLS) actively track, monitor and optimize the utilization and workflow of equipment and people in hospitals. Using simple web-based interfaces, including real-time tracking, reporting, alerting and analytics tools, hospital leaders and others for whom observations about the workflow in hospitals is paramount can see exactly who, what, where and when within the hospital – in real-time. With true entreprise awareness utilizing the data afforded by RTLS, the location, status and movement of required equipment, skilled staffed resources and patients can be coordinated to reduce the kind of delays and frustrations you so aptly describe.

RTLS solutions are used in hospitals to:

• Locate key equipment (like crash carts, IV pumps and wheelchairs) and maintain inventory
• Track patients and personnel (to impact throughput, improve workflows and track exposure to infection)
• For condition monitoring such as in temperature controlling equipment (refrigerators, freezers, warmers)

To 'ready, set' - I say add START – start tracking assets in real time!