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Patient Tracking / Patient Flow

Active RFID-RTLS patient tracking and transport applications are being used to improve patient flow in hospitals across the country.

These patient tracking systems can provide data which have significant effect on improving patient tracking, patient flow and provide valuable insight into patient flow improvements that can impact patient care. For example, patient tracking and patient flow applications can:

Because patient safety is compromised when there is high occupancy and overcrowding, the Joint Commission has included the management of patient tracking and patient flow in their requirements as well. Specifically, JCAHO LD 3.15 states “leaders develop and implement plans to identify and mitigate impediments to efficient patient flow throughout the hospital.” The Joint Commission further requires hospitals “must look at data and use data to make changes, and must have a patient flow committee”.

Hospitals further understand that transportation is an important aspect of patient tracking and patient flow. Whether patients are being taken for a procedure, being transferred to another unit or need assistance during discharge, efficient transportation is vital in ensuring optimal patient tracking and patient flow. Not only is transportation important to patient tracking and patient flow, it is also a point of contact for over 30% of inpatients and an opportunity to make a positive impression.

Patient flow is often delayed when a wheelchair or gurney cannot be located. Both patients and staff wait while transporters scramble to find the necessary equipment, creating a patient flow bottleneck that can easily escalate to affect numerous departments, clinical staff and patient wait times. With the use of hospital asset tracking on wheelchairs and gurneys, transporters are able to complete additional daily patient transports and reduce the number of excessive delays associated with patient transport.

Active RFID-RTLS patient tracking and patient transport applications have gained the attention of hospital administrators across the country. Awarepoint offers an active RFID patient tracking and patient flow real-time location system (RTLS) designed specifically for hospitals. With Awarepoint RTLS, hospitals have real-time access to actionable patient tracking information regarding the location, status and movement of equipment and people that can affect patient flow.

Awarepoint’s unique RTLS uses patented sensors based on underlying ZigBee technology that are simply plugged in to standard electrical outlets and instantly form the wireless Awarenet™ mesh network. RFID asset tracking tags are attached to equipment or people and users can track their location, status and movement in real-time from any web-enabled computer using the Searchpoint™ search engine. Using Infopoint™, the business analytics and reporting tool, managers can quickly view customized patient tracking reports to provide insights and trends that affect patient flow. This actionable, real-time patient tracking information allows immediate incremental changes which can significantly improve business processes that impact patient flow and ultimately, patient care.

The Awarepoint patient tracking system can be installed anywhere in your facility without disruption, even in occupied patient rooms and sterile areas, offering the quickest, most economical and least disruptive real-time location system in the industry today.

Click here for information on our patient tracking and patient flow solutions, or to request an active RFID-RTLS demonstration to see how Awarepoint can help you improve patient flow throughout your facility.