Shot of empty hospital corridor on second floor
What are some benefits of using RTLS in a hospital or healthcare facility? originally appeared Quora: A place to acquire and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and understand the world better.
Answer by Mohamed Smadi, CEO of Penguin Inc., on Quora,
Real-time location systems (RTLS) provide the location of people and things as they move in real-time. It’s not hard to imagine some obvious use cases that could be of benefit in hospitals and health care settings. The “where is it” question haunts many nurses everyday! It is common to see nurses or other health care practitioners looking for equipment, whether they are wheelchairs, IV pumps, or other equipment.
In addition to helping staff find equipment, things apparently go missing in hospitals. “Shrinkage” – as it is called in the financial book – is a real problem in many hospitals. An estimated 3% of mobile device, healthcare and safety managers see RTLS as a preventive solution to address shrinkage.
People-centric use cases include tracking infants and patients with dementia. Infant tracking RTLS solutions are generally viewed as a compliance tool that integrates with access control. The movement of infants in/out of particular areas requires special prior permission, failing which the hospital door will be locked and an alert will be issued. Nurse tracking is also a popular use case, not necessarily for tracking nurses but for integrating with nurse calling systems and providing security location-aware alerts in cases of pressure.
These are some of the most common use cases, but it’s not hard to think of others that one can build if given a business rules platform with “if-this-then-that” logic.
Many RTLS providers offer an ROI calculator that shares a comprehensive list of potential use cases depending on the type and size of the venue and the budget at hand. Penguin – Complete Indoor Tracking and Positioning is ready to provide zero-commitment consultation for that.
this question originally appeared Quora – A place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and understand the world better.
Source: www.forbes.com
