To keep tabs on people and goods in a building in real time, cutting-edge RTLSs now utilize tiny sensors. These sensors can be attached directly to badges or ID cards in equipment to track personnel without scanners or readers. Although their signal transmission and receiving systems are different, they both keep track of where each tag is and relay that information to a central computer system. The third variety of RTLS uses a passive RFID system that doesn't require power.

With an intuitive dashboard on their desktop or mobile device, managers can track real-time employee time with RTLS software. Studies of RTLS's effectiveness in flourishing businesses corroborate its usefulness. This technology reduces stress for managers and makes workers feel more secure when they have to stay late or work alone. With these three options, RTLS technology can monitor virtually anything.

Here are seven ways real-time location system (RTLS) technology could improve patient and staff safety in your healthcare facility:

1. Protects Employees and Patients

Real-time locating systems improve worker safety. Real-time location systems (RTLS) use a single computer or device to detect potentially hazardous environments, keep tabs on sensitive areas, and monitor the whereabouts of workers and patients. With healthcare RTLS, you can rest assured that your staff members are always where they should be. In real-time, these systems monitor where each team member is. The health of both patients and medical staff is of utmost importance. Everyone in the building is under constant surveillance, so absences or lack of activity will be protected.

In healthcare, imagining a patient or resident straying off and getting lost is simple. They could have unexpectedly departed your premises or gotten lost on the way. Without an RTLS to automatically detect the issue and warn people before it becomes an emergency, you will lose time, energy, and money searching for someone who could have been found and returned safely to their room before the situation escalated.

2. Transfer of Patients

Safety and return on investment are both enhanced by RTLS monitoring of patient movement. Equipment that sits idle costs money. By monitoring MRI utilization, hospitals can cut costs and improve efficiency. The days of people having to wait for medical equipment are over. Real-time location technologies let you know exactly when a machine is ready.

Outpatients' movements from arrival to departure can be monitored via RTLSs. This improves return on investment and customer retention and ensures that personnel can always find them upon arrival. Care for outpatients can be expedited with the help of RTLS-enabled cards or badges.

Time and resources are conserved by using RTLS in hospitals to monitor staff and patients. Time can be saved if staff is aware of the whereabouts of caregivers. A nurse could use a location system instead of paging a doctor who might not be close by. Faster patient turnover is beneficial for return on investment, and time-saving solutions can save lives.

3. Enhanced Emergency Response Time

In the event of an emergency, RTLS aids hospitals in locating both staff and patients. During times of crisis, patients may get disoriented. It is critical to have a centralized locating system to quickly notify you of an emergency and pinpoint the exact location of all personnel, patients, and assets. Compared to the time it would take to evacuate the building manually, maintain order, ensure everyone is present and accounted for, and rush about to find any missing people, this can save a great deal of time.

RTLS's ability to swiftly locate workers and patients in dangerous environments is lifesaving. When someone is in danger, they can discreetly request assistance by pressing a button on their RTLS badge, which sends a silent distress signal.

Lives are saved thanks to RTLS systems. While treating a patient, time is of the essence. Training staff is essential, but reducing the time it takes to locate assets, treat patients, and locate/alert workers to potentially dangerous circumstances is just as crucial.

4. Restrain Diseases

To avoid contracting COVID-19, health experts recommend isolating yourself from others. The essential workers cannot. It may be difficult for hospital staff to maintain social boundaries while surrounded by patients and each other. The good news is that an RTLS can use RFID tags to create a virtual barrier that will trigger alarms if individuals cross it.

Several businesses have shut down, and those still open generally operate with a skeleton crew because of the pandemic. This is available at a lot of healthcare facilities. Because of staff reductions, mandated self-isolation, and other factors, hospitals and other care facilities may need to monitor lone workers. It would be best if you were ready to support lone employees and keep things running normally in an emergency. Lone employees can be monitored by an active RFID system that also provides a panic button in an emergency.

5. Cut Down on Replacement Expenses

Safety and productivity are increased, and costs for replacing equipment are reduced because of RTLS. In hospitals, medical equipment is often rented from medical supply firms. Remote tracking and monitoring of assets. As a result, the hospital can easily and effectively reduce unnecessary equipment rentals by knowing exactly what equipment it is renting but not using.

You may monitor your rented equipment's whereabouts and usage to deter theft. Establish asset boundaries using an RTLS to be alerted of missing tools. Protecting high-priced medical equipment with an anti-theft alarm system improves return on investment.

Smarter purchasing is possible with real-time geolocation solutions. To select machinery, the hospital's executive committee requires information. These details are made available by RTLS. Is a new MRI machine really necessary for the hospital? What's Trending? Which machines are the most inactive? All of these concerns, and more, can be answered by RTLS data, and by understanding which purchases are truly necessary, hospitals can save significant sums of money.

Staffing Efficiency Using RTLS, Efficiency Can Be Maximized. You can monitor where your personnel and tools go throughout the day by monitoring their whereabouts and activity. Ineffective processes and dormant workers can be unearthed with this method. By using this data, you may avoid overstaffing and make better hiring decisions when choosing which employees to schedule for each shift. Not only does increased productivity boost profits for business owners, but it also holds workers more accountable.

Keeping tabs on employees in real-time can help businesses achieve their objectives. By keeping tabs on resources and personnel, you can gauge efficiency. Companies will be able to create and enforce safety regulations in the workplace with the help of tracking technologies. Staff members will praise their employers for their commitment to workplace safety, enhanced communication, and openness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the greatest benefit of RTLS optimization is increased worker happiness. Nurses have reported that waiting for medical equipment is one of the most frustrating aspects of working in a hospital. This annoyance is due to inadequate communication. The doctors and nurses at the hospital are too swamped with patients to check whether the X-ray machine is in use or whether or not a patient room is accessible. Caregivers are the ones who experience the most impact from this inefficient system of word-of-mouth communication, which prevents them from focusing on patients. By removing these bottlenecks, an RTLS frees up resources and motivates workers by providing accurate real-time data.