In the last year and a half, it has been widely demonstrated that healthcare and all its professionals are a key pillar of society. The pandemic has made the value of the healthcare industry visible, but it has also highlighted its shortcomings and needs.
The severe global healthcare situation has accelerated the digitalization of the healthcare system and provided the boost the sector needed to start implementing the technology on a regular basis. This situation has led to the emergence of various initiatives and technologies dedicated to providing real-time indoor localization.
However, healthcare digitalization is nothing new in the healthcare sector. At MYSPHERA, we have been defending and promoting its technological evolution through real-time location systems (RTLS) since 2012.
Thanks to RTLS technology, we are able to obtain the location of a person or resource in real-time. A priori, its main advantage is to control and manage patients and resources in an automated way. However, its possibilities, if fully optimized, can go much further.
Its benefits are not only visible today with the pandemic and its consequences, but it is a technology with a huge potential to increase productivity, optimize resources, and even save costs.
What is RTLS technology?
RTLS is the technology that allows obtaining the location through a network of beacons deployed in the building that communicate wirelessly (through BLE in the case of MYSPHERA) with people or resources that carry a tag or wireless bracelet.
Essentially, this system shows what, where, and when. So, through MYSPHERA’s RTLS-based solutions it is possible to show which patient entered which operating theatre (where) at which time (when).
The full potential of RTLS in the healthcare system
– Wayfinding
Indoor guidance for patients and medical professionals provides peace of mind to patients by offering them guidance within the facility and relieving them of interruptions in giving directions. This improves safety within the healthcare center by keeping patients correctly located, offering optimal routes for people with reduced mobility, warning of entry to restricted areas, etc.
– Automation of processes and tasks
Obtaining the location in real-time allows our system to be able to offer automated processes and tasks depending on the location and needs of the patient. In this way, all staff involved in an area as complex and delicate as the Surgical Block are alerted of patient movements and requirements, such as transfers or preparation for the operating theatre. Through alerts and notifications on portable devices such as smartphones or screens located in the control areas, the professionals receive the information and the assigned tasks.
– Surgical scheduler
Automation goes much further, even before the patient arrives at the hospital. Thanks to the surgical scheduler integrated in MYSPHERA’s RTLS-IoT system, it is possible to automate part of the process by creating fair schedules based on the existing demand that take into account the various factors involved (priority of interventions, availability of patients, average intervention times, maximum waiting time, etc.).
– Virtual Waiting Room
In addition, peace of mind and security extends not only to patients and professionals but also to relatives. They can find out the status and location of their loved one at all times through information screens and the ‘Virtual Waiting Room’ app. This functionality removes the need to spend hours in the waiting room with uncertainty and waiting for medical news. On the other hand, it also provides relief to medical professionals who reduce interruptions by relatives and generate the necessary interactions at key moments.
– Data analysis
At MYSPHERA we are aware of the need for reliable, realistic, real-time data that allows hospitals to answer questions about how their processes are working, making it possible to improve them.
Within the hospital environment, decision-making is essential for optimal patient flow and workflow. In order to make these decisions, surgical suite managers need data and information to help them make informed decisions.
Our system, based on RTLS, allows us to respond with data to fundamental questions such as patient turnover, surgical activity in real-time, level of use of operating theatres, delays, extensions, …
Do you want to know more about MYSPHERA and its RTLS-IoT solutions? Contact us here
