7 Ways RTLS Improves Healthcare with Application Interoperability

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7 Ways RTLS Improves Healthcare with Application Interoperability

As the healthcare sector is continuously adopting new technologies to improve care, a careful examination of the effectiveness of digital advancements becomes imperative. Amid this review, the convergence of Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS), automation and application interoperability emerges as a transformative influence, redefining the operational landscape of healthcare facilities.

 

What is Interoperability in healthcare?

In healthcare, interoperability denotes the capacity of diverse information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and utilize the

shared information efficiently. This involves the seamless sharing of health information among various healthcare systems, encompassing electronic health record (EHR) systems, medical devices, and other health information technologies.

 

The integration of location services

The incorporation of location, status and sensory data into existing technological frameworks is key for achieving improved operations in the healthcare sector. This integration serves as a central requirement, facilitating the efficient coordination of diverse components within the system. By strategically merging location data with pre-existing technological investments, healthcare facilities can optimize operational processes and enhance the experience of caregivers and patients.

 

With this foundational understanding, let’s delve into the pivotal role that RTLS plays within this framework. We will highlight the top 7 aspects of RTLS that affirm its significance within the broader context of interoperability and its transformative impact on healthcare operations.

 

1. Unified Integration Standards

The RTLS system should smoothly sync with and enhance the current technologies and IT infrastructure in healthcare settings. It ought to seamlessly meld into the existing IT framework, creating a fluid and engaging partnership with other technological components used in the healthcare facility. This ensures a seamless exchange of information among diverse healthcare systems, streamlining the often-tricky process of integrating data in healthcare environments

 

2. User-Friendly Adoption

Streamlining workflows becomes more than a convenience when RTLS applications can prioritize user-friendly features to accelerate adoption. By minimizing training periods and creating an environment favorable to technology acceptance, healthcare staff can efficiently incorporate RTLS into their routines, leading to increased productivity and satisfaction.

 

3. Resource Optimization

Beyond its location tracking capabilities, an effective RTLS solution addresses the challenge of resource optimization. By providing insights into asset utilization, staff allocation, and equipment availability, healthcare facilities can minimize unnecessary expenses, ensuring a more efficient allocation of resources.

 

4. Real-Time Patient Data Access

The automatic integration of location data with Electronic Health Records (EHR) is likely the most critical of all. This integration empowers healthcare providers with timely and accurate information, enabling them to make informed decisions promptly. By bridging the gap between RTLS and EHR, this approach enhances patient care and significantly contributes to more efficient and effective healthcare delivery. This advanced integration can also automatically populate billing and coding needs natively, saving administrative time and ensuring invoicing is accurate.

 

5. Facilitated Communication

Integrating functionalities such as nurse call systems and staff duress alerts with the RTLS network adds an additional layer of communication efficiency. This ensures that healthcare staff can promptly respond to patient needs or emergencies, further enhancing the overall responsiveness and effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

One study ¹ had showed that the majority of a nurse’s time, specifically 38.6% (equivalent to 214.2 minutes), was observed to be spent at the nurse station, with less than one-third (171 minutes) allocated in the patient room. This highlights an opportunity for RTLS to play a crucial role in optimizing a nurse’s time, redirecting their efforts towards more valuable actions.

 

6. Proactive Security Measures

In healthcare settings, RTLS systems should make security a top priority. They safeguard both staff and patient information, keep tabs on activities, and offer administrators improved visibility. This enhanced visibility empowers administrators to take proactive measures, ensuring comprehensive safety and adherence to data protection standards.

 

7. Strategic Investment

Viewing RTLS solutions as strategic investments involves aligning them with the long-term vision and goals of healthcare facilities. Beyond immediate gains, this approach considers the scalability, adaptability, and future-proofing of the technology, ensuring that the investment continues to add value as the healthcare landscape evolves.

 

 

Technology Talks: BLE 5.1 for Simplicity and Affordability

At the core of the user-friendly and cost-effective nature of RTLS applications lies Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 (BLE). This technology not only guarantees technical robustness but also ensures compatibility with ease. BLE 5.1, with its array of versatile tags, minimal power consumption, and extensive compatibility, serves as the foundational element enabling RTLS applications to seamlessly integrate into healthcare settings. This harmonious integration is a testament to the interoperability facilitated by BLE 5.1, providing both technical excellence and adaptability within the healthcare environment.

SEE ALSO: https://penguinin.com/ultra-wideband-uwb-vs-bluetooth-low-energy-ble-5-1/

 

 

Penguin Location Service ™

In the realm of healthcare, the thoughtful application of real-time location tracking can make a significant impact on staff and patient safety, as well as operational efficiency. This is where Penguin steps into space, offering a thoughtful approach to healthcare. PenTrack, a family of products, is caringly designed to provide not just prompt but also cost-effective results. We offer the necessary hardware along with our advanced AI-powered location engine, ensuring efficiency and precision. Our solutions seamlessly integrate into physical and software environments with minimal disruption, aligning perfectly with diverse settings.

 

Discover the thoughtful future of healthcare with Penguin. Book your free consultation today: [email protected]

 


References 

1. Hendrick A, Chow M, Skierczynski B, and Lu Z. A 36-Hospital Time and Motion Study: How Do Medical-Surgical Nurses Spend Their Time? The Permanente Journal. 2008;12(3):25–34.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408320/#B1

Getting Patients to Download Your Hospital App – Guaranteed App Features & Marketing Approach

Healthcare institutions are increasingly leveraging technology to enhance patient experiences and streamline medical services. One powerful tool in this pursuit is the hospital app. That’s why two-thirds of the largest US hospitals offer mobile health apps [1].

These apps hold potential benefits for patients and staff. Yet, creating a successful app is just the start. To maximize its gains, you must prioritize adoption. This article details strategies to boost your hospital app’s uptake. Furthermore, we’ll explore how PenguinIN enhances app services, addresses concerns, and integrates seamlessly to elevate app adoption.

 

Building the App – Things to put in mind when developing the App:


Understanding User Needs and Pain Points

Your primary goal should be focused on enhancing the patient experience, making it more convenient for them to consume data and manage their health concerns. Step into the shoes of a patient within your hospital. Consider what might be lacking in the current setup. How can processes be simplified and made more accessible? Are there services that would significantly benefit patients and should not be overlooked?

This perspective should also extend to healthcare personnel. Given the demanding nature of their work, it’s important to find ways to collaborate with them in order to optimize their daily tasks. How can you work together to create smoother operations?

Crafting a User-Centric App

A user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation are key components of an app that users will embrace. Aim to create an app that not only provides value but also makes interactions effortless and enjoyable. Make sure that the app’s design aligns with the diverse user demographics it aims to serve.

Prioritizing Security and Privacy

Highlighting the utmost significance of Security and Privacy in the context of hospital apps cannot be overstated. It’s crucial to convey and assure users that their data is safeguarded and kept entirely confidential. Place special focus on collaborating with well-versed cloud service providers and upholding a centralized, fully controlled database to thwart any potential data breaches.

 

Incorporating Value-Added Features


Now that we looked at what you should consider when building the app, now let’s talk features.

Hospital apps can include an array of services, which in time can be updated and added to adapt to constant needs. Think of COVID, a sudden epidemic that made hospitals a hazardous environment with most cases spreading in healthcare facilities and quarantine zones. Apps emerged as an essential part for infection control and contact tracing

Let us look at some added value features that can lure your patients to download the app, focusing on what we know best at penguinIN having witnessed the result of our features firsthand with our clients.

Patient-Centric Health Records: The hospital app becomes a personalized portal, granting patients access to their health records, test results, and medication reminders. This transparency strengthens patient’s relationship with your hospital, elevating their level of engagement and commitment to their treatment plans.

Appointment Management: By allowing patients to effortlessly schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments through the app from data provided in real time, healthcare providers will have streamlined operations and reduced no-show rates. Patients are drawn to the convenience and empowerment the app grants them in managing their healthcare needs.

Telemedicine: People value the feeling of empowerment, especially when dealing with illness. Telemedicine has the potential to streamline processes for patients, engaging them more profoundly in their healthcare journey. This thoughtful approach can bring significant results and help build a loyal customer base.

Hospital apps open doors to the realm of telemedicine, enabling patients to access virtual consultations with healthcare professionals. This digital frontier democratizes healthcare access and proves necessary, especially during unexpected challenges.

Indoor Navigation for Patients: Picture this scenario: a patient enters the vast, convoluted halls of a hospital, clutching their appointment details with a slight feeling of anxiety. How can you ensure they have a seamless journey from the entrance to their designated destination? Enter Real-Time Patient Wayfinding, an integral feature embedded within the hospital app.

With the tap of a finger, patients gain access to precise, step-by-step directions to their appointments and various hospital departments.

Indoor Navigation Empowering Accessibility Where It Matters Most: These apps empower patients, especially those with mobility challenges, by providing step-by-step directions to their destinations. With live updates and accessible routes, individuals can navigate the hospital confidently, reducing anxiety and saving time.

| Learn More: Click Here

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) Features: When it comes to boosting efficiency and ensuring patient safety, Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) take the lead. Utilizing an intricate network of advanced sensors, intelligent tags, and cutting-edge communication technologies, RTLS enables unparalleled real-time tracking within healthcare facilities – encompassing medical equipment, staff, and even patients.

Hospital apps equipped with RTLS functionalities facilitate precise resource allocation and utilization, leading to optimized operations and, most importantly, improved patient safety and satisfaction. In dire situations, such as emergencies or Code Blue scenarios, RTLS prepares healthcare professionals and supports patients with instantaneous information on nearest available personnel and proper emergency procedures. The outcome is a timely response that can spell the difference in outcome in challenging scenarios.

 

 

How to Market Your Hospital App Successfully


Having comprehensively addressed the fundamental aspects of constructing a hospital app and incorporated distinctive features that set your platform apart and cater to critical healthcare aspects, let’s delve into methods to ensure your app gains traction. Additionally, we will introduce you to some of the techniques employed by PenguinIN to encourage patient downloads of hospital apps.

Feature Branding: Feature branding involves emphasizing and promoting distinct features or functionalities of a product or service as integral components of its brand identity. Let your partners serve as your advocates. PenguinIN ensures effective marketing of the added services, with a focus on a particular feature having the potential to enhance the app’s appeal to patients. This ensures the spotlight is on specific features that can attract a larger user base.

Wi-Fi Landing Page: By utilizing Wi-Fi landing pages strategically, you can encourage users connecting to the hospital’s network to download the app. These pages can feature a compelling call to action, highlight the app’s benefits, and offer incentives for immediate download. This direct approach takes advantage of users’ connection to increase app downloads effectively.

QR Codes: Leveraging QR codes can boost hospital app downloads by providing instant access. Users can scan the QR code, directing them straight to the app download page. This seamless process capitalizes on their immediate interest and simplifies the download experience, enhancing app adoption.

Leverage User Reviews and Ratings: Monitor and respond to reviews, addressing any concerns or issues promptly. Additionally, consider showcasing some of the most positive reviews on various promotional channels to build confidence among potential users.

Staff Education: Incorporate staff education and advocacy into your app promotion strategy. Train hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel, to become advocates for the app. Staff can play an important role in promoting the app during patient interactions.

Traditional Print Promotion: Cards and flyers effectively drive hospital app downloads. Placed in waiting areas and across the hospital, they directly engage patients and visitors. With clear calls to action, app benefits, and QR codes for swift access, this tangible approach enhances visibility and spurs app adoption.

 


 

At PenguinIN, we employ these methods to market our clients’ apps. Beyond just providing features, we genuinely believe our services enhance patient experience. This shared objective becomes a cornerstone when you choose to collaborate with us.

Learn more about what PenguinIN offers for healthcare and how we can partner with you to elevate your hospital application: Click Here

 


Source:

1 .. https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/us-hospitals-engaging-only-2-percent-of-patients-via-mobile-apps-putting-as-much-as-100-million-in-annual-revenue-per-hospital-at-risk-accenture-finds.htmAccenture

CBAHI – Focus Areas and Solutions

 

CBAHI – Focus Areas and Solutions

Under the tight monitoring of the Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutes (CBAHI), Saudi Arabia is transforming and revolutionizing the healthcare standards across all medical and healthcare institutes to ensure alignment with the 2030 vision of the kingdom.

In the following article, we reflect on certain aspects of the CBAHI standards, and how PenguinIN can support you with not only complying but leveraging top-notch technology advancements to be ahead in your healthcare institute’s offerings quality and operational excellence.

 

Executive Roles & Duties:

The following criteria have been identified as KPIs for execs to focus on:

  • Ensuring the provision of medicines, equipment and the entire supply chain for the facility
  • Collaborating with all departments to elevate the quality of the facility’s work & environment
  • Constantly monitoring and evaluating the state of the facility building
  • Reducing the waste of the institute’s medical resources

Today’s technology help execs by automating monitoring and reporting on different aspects of their facilities and workforce. Being informed will help in better decision-making and response times. Whether it is to determine asset utilization, attendance compliance, facility upkeep or practitioner response time, collected allows execs to build ROI-driven decision-making. PenguinIN has the tools to help execs make informed decisions.

 

Infection control and Hand Hygiene:

Once again, CBAHI is bringing the attention of operators on the issue of hand hygiene by requiring

  • A multidisciplinary committee that provides oversight of the infection prevention and control program
  • Putting in place sterilization, disinfection and hand cleaning compliance procedures
  • Proper use of equipment and supplies to prevent infections and provide them adequately

The issue of hand hygiene has undoubtedly become central to any infection control program.
“A key use case that has tangible ROI is hand hygiene compliance. Being able to know who went where and when are keys to ensuring that compliance rules are adhered to”

Dr Mohammed Smadi, CEO of PenguinIN.

 

Through original research and strategic partnerships, PenguinIN has arrived at a cost-effective solution that is applicable to the retrofit scenario where existing dispenser can be upgraded to offer hand hygiene compliance at individual and ward levels.  Additional benefits include automating the workflow around dispenser replenishment and utilization.

 

Patient Experience & Safety:

Patient centricity is a key element in CBAHI.  Two key pillars are safety and experience. Putting what might be taken for granted in writing, CBAHI has highlighted the following points as drivers for patient safety:

  • The hospital must have a process to prevent wrong patients, wrong sites & and wrong surgery/procedure
  • The hospital has a process to ensure the correct identification of patients
  • Adding a layer of compliance and traceability reduces unintentional errors. PenguinIN allows for tracking patients and staff to schedule and physical areas to ensure that the entire flow and interactivity are captured in real-time and for historical review.

 

To improve patient experience, CHABI has required clear access and egress wayfinding for authorized hospital staff and availing wayfinding boards and enquiry points at entrances.

PenguinIN offers digital wayfinding with a customizable directory listing that is easy to upgrade in multiple languages with options to push infotainment messages which may be related to a particular patient (e.g. while waiting) or department.  In addition to offering a noticeable improvement in the patient experience, such solutions result in a meaningful reduction in missed appointments as well and can be tied with a patient reminder solution.

 

Medical Assets Supply & Tracking:

  • Provision of medical supplies by the healthcare facility management
  • Storing and stocking of medical supplies & equipment according to factory conditions & instructions
  • Regular inspection procedures from the healthcare facility management
  • Ensure the protection of medical supplies from theft or damage
  • Disposal of damaged & expired supplies
  • Reduce the waste of healthcare facility resources

 

Effective medical asset tracking and management are crucial for ensuring patient safety, reducing costs, complying with legal regulations, and improving the quality of patient care in the healthcare setting, hence, PenguinIN has special R&D activities on the family products of “PenTrack”, providing not only pin-point location of assets proximity of things but extends to featuring advanced AI Indoor analytics of data, defined business rules and trigger actions based on automatic detection of these specific conditions.

 

Dental Clinics standards updates:

  • The facility must activate the staff health and safety program
  • Immediate and consistent sanitation for doctors, nurses & medical equipment

Solutions developed by PenguinIN, including Duress Call solutions that ensure medical staff safety and security, and medical equipment asset tracking and monitoring are among our top-rated solutions, with solutions implementation ease, utilizing existing Wi-Fi network, and or using simple on-premises BLE/Bluetooth based solution.

 

Enhancing Operational Readiness

 

  • Neonatal tracking system (to protect against abduction)
  • Tracking the sterilization of medical equipment
  • Nurse tracking to support nurse calling systems and nurse safety
  • Equipment dwell times in dirty and clean rooms
  • System to support facility managers in tracking and scheduling maintenance for medical equipment

These are interesting technology evolution times, and PenguinIN is proud to be working with healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia to address these challenges.

To learn more about how PenguinIN can help your facility, reach out today at [email protected]

 

About PenguinIN 

PenguinIN is a leading indoor positioning and IoT use cases provider, headquartered in Irvine, California, with a regional office in Dubai. The company creates digital parallels for physical spaces to optimize day-to-day processes and create unique experiences for visitors and operators. PenguinIN leverages all available radio and sensor information to provide state-of-the-art indoor positioning information to build ROI-driven use cases, with solutions that have already been proven successful in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

About CBAHI
The Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI) is the official agency authorized to grant accreditation certificates to all governmental and private healthcare facilities operating today in Saudi Arabia. CBAHI has emerged from the Saudi Health Council as a non-profit organization. The principal function of CBAHI is to set the healthcare quality and patient safety standards against which all healthcare facilities are evaluated for evidence of compliance.

 

(*) References:

  • Close QM.18, ESR Book, National Essential Safety Requirements by CBAHI.
  • Close QM.17, ESR Book, National Essential Safety Requirements by CBAHI.
  • Close IPC.4, ESR Book, National Essential Safety Requirements by CBAHI.
  • Twitter Official Account Announcements by CBAHI:
    https://twitter.com/Cbahi_SA

 

 

CBAHI – A Saudi Approach to Improved Healthcare

CBAHI – A Saudi Approach to Improved Healthcare

 

Saudi Arabia is transforming its healthcare sector through privatization under tight monitoring by the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutes (CBAHI).

CBAHI aims to improve the patient, staff and visitor safety, service level and experience offered by all accredited institutes in the Kingdom. Additionally, it mandates the availability of tools to report errors during the service offering process.

PenguinIN has been refining its solutions to offer healthcare facilities solutions that help satisfy such accreditation requirements. Our solutions address:

 Preventing and Reporting Medical Errors and Improving Safety:

 Ensuring that surgery is always done at the right place

  • Giving a newborn to the correct parents
  • Newborn safety using electronic tagging immediately from birth
  • Ensuring compliance with infection control

 

Improving Patient Experience:

 Offering external and internal wayfinding signage to assist in wayfinding. This includes a navigate from home to clinic feature

  • Clear access and egress wayfinding for authorized hospital staff
  • Availability of wayfinding boards and enquiry points at entrances

 

Enhancing Operational Readiness:

  • Neonatal tracking system (to protect against abduction)
  • Tracking the sterilization of medical equipment
  • Nurse tracking to support nurse calling systems and nurse safety
  • Equipment dwell times in dirty and clean rooms
  • System to support facility managers in tracking and scheduling maintenance for medical equipment

These are interesting times and PenguinIN is proud to be working with healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia to address these challenges.
To learn more about how PenguinIN can help your facility, please send us an email to [email protected]

 

Why & How Do Patients Choose a Hospital?

Why & How do Patients Choose a hospital?

Here’s a question for you: can you influence the patients’ choice of which hospital they attend to?

With the easily accessible medical and facility information online, patients are now more educated and informed about their choices and decisions. A 2017 UK study [1] has shown that convenient location continued to be a major influencing factor over hospital choice; however, other – perhaps less obvious – factors such as the number of beds and even parking spots are being viewed as a proxy for the level of service a hospital is likely to provide.

Information availability and patient freedom over healthcare provider choice drive private and public sectors to deliver a better overall patient experience. Albeit exciting from a patient perspective, it is challenging for operators to (1) identify areas of improvement which are rapidly and continuously evolving and (2) innovative and cost-effective ways to address these areas.

Creating key performance indicators (KPIs) for metrics that impact patient satisfaction and the corresponding tools to measure these KPIs should be a collaborative effort between the different departments. For example, IT managers who historically were responsible for the network and PC upkeep in hospitals, are now being asked to look after mobile applications and infrastructure specifically used to improve the patient experience.

In a 2018 survey [2] covering 1,000 healthcare consumers, it was found that the difficulty in finding one’s way around the hospital was worse of a challenge than poor communications from the doctor.  A solution addressing wayfinding within a hospital can span facility, IT, and patient experience departments.

In a Harvard Business Review article [3], it was shown that even though the average charge for an outpatient emergency room trip was $1,900 in 2016 (twice the average monthly rent for Americans), Patients who arrived at EDs with broken bones waited a painful 54 minutes, on average, before receiving any pain medication! The authors argue that hospitals’ waiting times should be measured and benchmarked against the national average waiting time. Hospitals that exhibit shorter waiting times than the average should be financially rewarded, while underperforming hospitals should be penalized. Such an initiative would involve finance, staff, legal, and patient advocacy teams.

It is our opinion that factors impacting the choice of healthcare provider are evolving in the digital era. Identifying and measuring KPIs is a cross-functional team effort with the ultimate objective of improving the overall patient experience and outcome.

PenguinIN is a healthcare digital transformation solution provider with patient experience solutions including PenNav: a best-in-class indoor wayfinding solution and PenTrack: a solution for asset and people tracking. Through analytics and business rules, PenguinIN works with facility managers, IT managers and patient experience directors to identify and resolve pain points in healthcare settings.

To learn more about what can help you achieve a better patient experience, or to share more thoughts, please reach out to us at [email protected]

 

[1] Patient choice modelling: how do patients choose their hospitals?  Available on: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28401405/
[2] 2018 Hospital Patient Survey Conducted by Scorpion.Co. Available on: https://www.scorpion.co/hospitals/expert-tips/intelligence/hospital-patient-survey-how-do-patients-choose-t/
[3] Harvard Business Review: To Reduce Emergency Room Wait Times, Tie Them to Payments by Nicos Savva and Tolga Tezcan. Available on: https://hbr.org/2019/02/to-reduce-emergency-room-wait-times-tie-them-to-payments