Kontakt.io’s IoT and RTLS solutions use your existing Wi-Fi to transform your operational workflows. Utilizing these solutions can improve asset utilization and streamline essential functions. Their capabilities provide up-to-date data to inform decisions while reducing waste, improving efficiency, and elevating safety. Here are 5 ways to improve staff safety and workflows with IoT.
1. Smart badges for improved staff safety and wellbeing
Staff need to feel safe while at work to do their jobs. Mental stress and worry lead to mistakes in patient care, job dissatisfaction, and staff shortages. Smart badges work to empower nurses to stay safe by having the ability to summon help to their location with the press of a button. Rapid response times can effectively lower the risk of injuries and mental distress.
Providing staff with smart badges is also great for daily operational efficiency. The BLE tags on the badge holders track staff movements to provide valuable data on staffing needs and allow employees to locate each other for better communication. Smart badges can also grant staff members access to approved zones throughout the hospital, eliminating the need to stop and show ID, sign in, or use a manual key card to obtain access.
2. Smart tags for improved patient safety and satisfaction
Utilizing IoT and RTLS has several benefits for patient experience and safety:
- Smart tags compatible with hospital ID bands prevent patients from wandering into restricted areas or leaving the facility without an authorized discharge. Alerts signal hospital staff to intervene before a patient is abducted or puts themselves in danger by entering a dangerous zone.
- The tags also emit a continuous signal so staff can track a patient’s location to coordinate appointments and prevent bottlenecks.
- Room displays improve care coordination and communication by delivering important, up-to-date patient data at a glance.
- Digital whiteboards help to manage medication schedules and other essential information to ensure timely care and avoid mistakes.
- IoT provides easy indoor navigation with maps and directions to help patients and family members find their destinations.
Better security and improved patient flow lead to an overall more satisfying experience. Patients who move through the care journey with ease, free of bottlenecks and lengthy delays that cause friction, and equipped with essential data about their care are happier and have improved health outcomes.
3. Asset tracking and management for streamlined workflows
Real-time asset tracking and management streamlines hospital operations and improves safety by ensuring essential equipment is ready and available to deliver care when needed, especially in emergencies. The system works by attaching smart tags to assets. Each has a unique identification number that sends out continuous signals picked up by sensors. Data on the asset’s location, status, and usage history gets sent to the cloud-powered platform for employees to view and manage.
Asset tracking allows your nurses to find the supplies and equipment they need without wasting time searching through multiple departments. Staff can avoid hoarding medical equipment or wasting resources by ordering too much inventory. It’s also a great way to ensure all equipment receives regular maintenance so it remains in circulation with less downtime. IoT devices work well to track everyday supplies and high-usage items like IV pumps and wheelchairs. You can even use the platform to improve bed utilization to reduce shortages and care delays.
4. Optimization of space utilization
Effective space management makes a big difference in productivity, efficiency, and security. IoT sensors monitor an area to track the number of people that come and go. This knowledge allows you to develop a layout that utilizes all workspaces, promoting efficiency and flow.
Optimizing space utilization also entails paying close attention to which types of spaces are the most used. This allows hospital administration to design an area with the appropriate number of patient exam rooms, staff offices, and other spaces. IoT and RTLS improve safety within a space by tracking all movement in and out of the area to ensure patients stay out of restricted areas.
5. Environmental monitoring
Indoor environmental monitoring has a profound effect on employee wellness and job satisfaction. Air pollution indoors can contribute to several health problems, from breathing issues to an increased risk of infection. Greater public awareness of the dangers of chemical-based cleaning supplies and other products used in business settings has made monitoring an environment for air quality and safety more important than ever.
Indoor air quality monitoring allows you to track not just temperature and humidity but also HVAC settings, lights, carbon dioxide levels, and more. It not only detects hazards, but it also keeps the environment comfortable so staff stay alert and productive. It even helps you protect the environment by limiting your carbon footprint.
Kontakt.io solutions for safety and optimized operations
Kontakt.io provides digital solutions, advice, and support to help you revamp your hospital operations for better outcomes and greater satisfaction for both staff and patients. Our platform is easy to install and easy to use. Discover how IoT tracking devices and AI-powered analytics give you the vital information you need to maximize your efficiency and provide a secure environment for staff and patients alike.
Find out more about how our platform can transform your hospital for the better by contacting us with your questions or by watching our series of on-demand webinars that explore the advantages of IoT and RTLS for safety, operational efficiency, and numerous use cases that can save you revenue and improve your performance.
