21 February Indoor Navigation and Asset Tracking in Hospitals February 21, 2020 By Katja Streich healthcare |client based|, |server based|, |Bluetooth Low Energy| 0 In healthcare facilities, the use of an intelligent tracking system allows for asset localization as well as wayfinding throughout the hospital building. At a glance client-based solution: 2D/3D building maps indoor navigation for patients, visitors and staff server-based solution: localization and management of medical equipment Problem Definition Each year, hospitals are faced with immense costs in the search for assets. Lost or stolen inventory also has a significant negative impact on patient experience and hospital staff workflows. In addition, in most hospitals, patients and visitors as well as new employees have difficulty finding their way around increasingly complex healthcare facilities. Solution An intelligent positioning solution enables the simultaneous implementation of indoor navigation and asset tracking with low hardware costs. Hardware components from infsoft automatically register the location of critical assets (e.g. heart monitors, consumables, beds, wheelchairs) and provide visibility for each captured item. Tracking takes place at important checkpoints in real time and with short delay in places such as patient rooms, treatment rooms and storage rooms. It is ensured that employees have access to all critical assets at all times. The solution improves the utilization of existing equipment and minimizes unnecessary purchases of additional inventory. Thanks to the automation of inventory management, staff can put more focus on patient care. Employees can view the position data via app or browser application. Automated notifications for specific situations can also be defined, for example when a device leaves a certain area. At the same time, the solution enables indoor navigation on the hospital premises. Patients, visitors and even hospital staff can use a mobile app in order to be guided to their desired destination. Technical Implementation In areas where higher latency times are not an issue (e.g. patient rooms), one infsoft Locator Beacon is installed per room. The assets to be tracked are equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. infsoft Locator Nodes are installed in the hospital corridors and at checkpoints which are relevant for real-time tracking. The mobile BLE beacons attached to the assets emit Bluetooth signals that are received by the Locator Beacons and transmitted to the nearest Locator Node. From here, the data is sent to the infsoft LocAware platform® where it is intelligently processed. Using the infsoft backend tools, the device locations are visualized and the data can be used for analysis purposes or the definition of geo-based actions. Client-based positioning for indoor navigation is achieved via a network of infsoft Locator Beacons evenly distributed throughout the building. This infrastructure also includes those Locator Beacons which are already in use for asset tracking purposes. The Bluetooth signals of the Locator Beacons are received by the smartphones of the users. An app installed on the device uses a signal strength measurement for positioning. Via turn-by-turn navigation, the user is guided to his desired destination. Use Case PDF for Download Get the white paper for free Great introduction to the topic of indoor positioning Download Related Articles Asset Tracking and Indoor Navigation in a Clinic A large clinical complex with several hundreds of thousands square meters has a lot of departments. Those departments on the one hand share certain medical equipment, for example a mobile X-ray machine. Indoor positioning services help to locate that medical equipment. Read More Indoor Navigation and Digital Signage in Hospitals In hospitals, a wayfinding app and a digital signage solution advance the quality of patient experiences and improve facility navigation. Read More Indoor Navigation and Tracking of Tugger Trains Indoor navigation for tugger trains for warehouse optimization. In addition, an asset tracking solution enables the retrieval of the location, service life and movement history of goods. Read More Indoor Navigation and Staff Tracking at a Trade Fair This use case describes the implementation of an indoor navigation and tracking solution at a trade fair. Read More Indoor Navigation and Persons Tracking in the Shopping Mall Visitors of a shopping centre can navigate to certain shops, restaurants etc. by Indoor Navigation and parents can locate their children with a bracelet so that they cannot get lost. Read More Digital Patient Call and Indoor Navigation in Hospitals In healthcare facilities, a mobile app enables a digital patient call system, increasing patient satisfaction and relieving staff. Read More Comments are closed.