Healthcare operations inefficiency is perhaps the most pressing challenge in our medical systems today. Have you ever wondered what it really takes to transform a chaotic healthcare facility into a streamlined operation? The patient tracking system is the cornerstone.
Technology helps us tackle complex healthcare challenges – they are tools that enable us to make patient care delivery a little more efficient and human-centric. And boy does patient tracking come effective in this regard – from emergency departments to long-term care facilities, from small clinics to large hospital networks – you name it!
Here in this post, we’ll dive into whether the might of patient tracking technology can help us with operational inefficiency and patient management.
What is a patient tracking system
A patient tracking system is the process of monitoring patients—both their location and their current status within a healthcare facility. Simply put, it consists of the detection of information when patients’ whereabouts and basic conditions (like falls or movements) change within a facility, for instance, a hospital; these updates (called tracking data) in turn can generate real-time location awareness.
Healthcare facilities take advantage of patient tracking systems to maintain patient visibility. Deploying real-time monitoring systems through your facility can help prevent patient elopement, wandering, and abduction. Some facilities resort to a manual tracking approach, now there are reliable ways you can exact your patient tracking process like barcodes, RFIS, or Bluetooth tags. This innovative system automatically identifies and monitors patients as they move through different hospital departments and care stages, providing instant access to their location and status.
The difference between the patient tracking and patient monitoring systems is that the former usually refers to tracking physical locations and basic status like falls completely, while the latter refers to measuring medical data like vital signs, ECG, and other clinical parameters within the facility where care occurs.
Why BLE is the hot fit for patient tracking
BLE technology presents a best fit for patient tracking that combines simplicity with scalability. This system integrates easily with your existing network, eliminating the need for extra infrastructure. By leveraging your current Wi-Fi, our devices deliver immediate value while maintaining the flexibility for future expansion. Our comprehensive solution includes Bluetooth tags, sensors, anchors, and Bluetooth LE gateways. When integrated with a cloud-based platform, this creates an exceptionally scalable solution that evolves with your operational needs while maximizing ROI.
Bluetooth Beacons and Tags
MOKO SMART offers a wide range of tags, beacons and smart hardware, including medical wristbands for tracking patient location and paper tags for bed management. BLE personnel tags are attached to patients and staff members can track a patient’s ID to determine their exact location. Our BLE tags can provide room-level positioning to allow you to locate patients and staff, as well as their movement.
Bluetooth Gateway
Bluetooth LE gateways can gather information from tags and beacons and forward the data directly to your software. We provide plug-and-play gateway solutions such as USB mini gateway, plug gateway, WiFi gateway, PoE gateway, and more. More gateways mean better coverage and accuracy.
Cloud-Based Platform
The cloud will enrich and analyze all of the information collected and transmitted by the BLE hardware. The healthcare team can then receive information, notifications, and reports through web and mobile apps. Equipping each person with a BLE-enabled wristband or badge enables your staff to monitor patient movement and locate them quickly to ensure they are on time for their appointments.
With BLE-enabled wristbands for patients, staff can efficiently monitor movement patterns and locate individuals promptly, ensuring timely appointment management and smooth operational flow.
Benefits of patient tracking in hospitals
Bluetooth RTLS is an effective way for healthcare facilities to monitor and protect their most vulnerable patients. Bluetooth RTLS is an effective way for healthcare facilities to monitor and protect their most vulnerable patients. The result is better-performing staff, and more importantly, safer patients. Here are the key advantages of implementing Bluetooth RTLS for patient tracking:
Real-time patient tracking and navigation
Real-time patient tracking and navigation is one of the important functions of hospital systems, enabling staff to define a patient’s location in real time. It saves staff considerable time they would otherwise spend searching for patients who might be in another department for tests, visiting with family, or getting some exercise. In particular, this is especially helpful when monitoring patients at high risk, for instance those with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
The system provides immediate transparency by making medical history, appointments, surgeons, doctors and nurses information available for each patient with real-time updates. Staff can quickly find wandering or at-risk patients.
Immediate response to emergency
Despite the normal security protocols in hospitals, it’s difficult for healthcare staff to personally monitor each patient. Bluetooth location tags can notify staff if a patient has a sudden fall. This helps improve response time and helps the patient in danger or to remind them of slippery floors. In the case of wandering patients entering restricted area, or elopement from premises, prompt location identification is also essential.
If patients feel unwell or need help, they can click the button on the Bluetooth wristband tag instantly. The fast action ensures staff can stop the patient from being hurt, and react in seconds to emergencies.
Optimized Patient Flow
Real-time location systems significantly improve patient flow through comprehensive tracking of patients, assets, and staff members. With such information, healthcare staff can communicate accurately about the location of the patient and the received kind of care in the area. It improves patient flow by telling staff how long the patient waits, how many staff are available, and if a room or an asset is available. Staff can administer care quickly and check medication schedules and avoid lengthy wait times due to bottlenecks by staggering appointments correctly.
Enhance asset management and workflow
RTLS technology assists healthcare operations by allowing immediate location and management of the most critical resources. This system:
- Tracked real-time the medical equipment and supplies
- Good controls of medication inventory
- Monitors asset utilization
- Quick locating available wheelchairs
- Efficient bed assignment and management
Bluetooth RTLS provides immediate access to essential resources which lowers wait times and file delays. This not only led to a more efficient patient experience but can also allow staff to provide timely care, and thereby improve health outcomes. The search for healthcare equipment gets easier and healthcare staff can spend more time caring for the patients.
Overcoming challenges and implementation factors
In hospitals today, Bluetooth RTLS is more commonly employed to track healthcare staff and equipment than to track patients. Bluetooth RTLS is a big success when adopted in a patient tracking system. For a Bluetooth RTLS-based patient tracking solution, you’ll need to address several interconnected decisions.
Tracking Requirements
– What will you track (patients, staff, assets)?
– How often will you analyze the data?
– Whether you need automated real-time data?
Technical Infrastructure
We provide various Bluetooth tags and gateways that plug directly into standard electrical outlets and communicate wirelessly leveraging existing WiFi networks. Consider:
– How many Bluetooth tags and gateways do you need?
– If using the existing network, how easy is it to integrate with those systems?
– What is the expected accuracy of these systems?
Staff Impact
– Will frontline staff accept this new technology?
– How will Bluetooth RTLS tracking change their workflow?
Explore MOKOSmart’s innovative healthcare devices
Bluetooth RTLS solutions are powerful, and we believe in the power to streamline hospital operations and enhance patient care. If you’re interested in our Bluetooth LE hardware devices, then we invite you to explore them and schedule a consultation – partner with us in changing healthcare with smart technology. To learn more about our Bluetooth portfolio and our patient tracking solutions, visit our webpage or contact our sales team now.
