Tracking of equipment and persons is critical for a productive hospital; the right device and person at the right place at the right time.

An integrated solution is required; tracking technology + tracking function + user interface + backend system. Existing systems? Integration with existing systems?

Location as a service – how that can that be provided and what are the benefits for the organization?! Can we e.g. save time, share equipment, optimize workflows and security?

Problem Area A; Equipment tracking

Generally clinicians want the right device at the right place at the right time.

• Units can be shared by several people and you must therefore be able to book them
• Documentation of hygiene
• Size of equipment makes it disappear

Here, tracking can be of help in locating the device.

Below are examples of devices that can be tracked

• Assistive devices
• Medical equipment
• Patient belongings
• Staff clothing (how is flow)
• Beds (special beds, cleaning, flow)
• Blood tests / Medicines

For the different needs, different technology can/must be used. So, what is required of back-end systems?

Problem Area B; Person tracking

If the patient is not in the room when the biochemist comes by, the samples will not be taken. The nurses must therefore order new samples and possibly call to make an appointment for the samples to be taken. It is double work for the nurses, and it delays the ability to visit the patient.

All tests must be scheduled prior to the arrival of the biochemists. Therefore, no other samples can be taken apart from those ordered.

The department’s staff spend a disproportionate amount of time looking for each other among the different professional groups on the beds. In addition, patients who are not in the ward are searched for. They may be elsewhere in the department or outside the department.

The challenge is greatest during the day, when most people are at work. It is much easier in shifts, where fewer people have to coordinate with each other. The staff feel that they are wasting each other’s time and cannot use their resources optimally. It is not desired that telephones be included in a proposed solution, as this will lead to extra interruptions in everyday life.

Problem Area C; Logistics tracking

There is a relatively large flow of logistics goods, here defined as goods and/or units that must be transported between the Logistics Building and departments. This could, for example, concern regional goods, pharmacy goods, sterile vans and waste containers.

Location of goods “in transit” is of relevance.