This month marked the launch of the Helios Navi – an indoor navigation solution for the Helios Clinic in Erfurt.
The free app for iOS and Android can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play. In addition, there are stationary terminals on site where visitors and patients can get an overview of the location, search for destinations and find the fastest route to get there.
A number of points of interest such as hospital wards, therapy centres, consultation and patient rooms, cafeterias or toilets can be found inside the Helios Navi. With the help of the solution, visitors and patients arrive quickly, stress-free and directly at their destination. Additionally, relevant information such as consultation and opening hours are available.
The event Long Night of Sciences, which took place in Erfurt earlier this month, provided a good setting for officially presenting the Helios Navi to a large number of people. The highlights of the programme included exciting insights into various specialist areas, surgical simulation with robots and a teddy clinic for the children. The app and the kiosk system helped numerous visitors to easily find their way around the clinic and arrive at the desired event on time.
TECHNOLOGY
In order to realize an indoor navigation via smartphone, a client-based solution is implemented. For this purpose, iBeacons are installed at regular distances throughout the hospital. The current location can then be determined reliably on smartphones on which the Helios Navi app is installed and the Bluetooth function is activated.
FUTURE EXTENSION OF THE SOLUTION
In the future, the application will also be available for other Helios clinics and the functionality will be expanded. For example, a navigation solution for employees and external service providers will be added. Since these groups of people spend time working in areas of the hospital that are not publicly accessible, there are different requirements for the solution. Also, the solution will receive a connection with the Helios patient portal.
Employees of the hospital will be able to access additional functions. These include the possibility to track assets within the hospital. The staff will be able to locate and retrieve relevant assets (wheelchairs, mobile medical devices, etc.) more quickly and easily. At the same time, the respective assets can be protected against theft. The solution can also be used to protect high-risk patients.
FURTHER LINKS
Download the App for iOS und Android here.
Further insights into the fields of application and the benefits of indoor positioning in healthcare can be found in the following blog post: How RTLS can revolutionize healthcare
