Real-Time Locations Systems (RTLS) can identify the precise indoor location of critical assets and resources to improve workflow efficiency and enterprise safety. This technology can provide nurses with a boost of support that can significantly impact their satisfaction and delivery of quality of care.
Georgia State University conducted a systematic review of 42 peer-reviewed research projects, finding that RTLS improves healthcare delivery, and reduces the billions of dollars wasted annually by clinicians searching for equipment. These findings are documented in a recent White Paper sponsored by Vizzia Technologies and summarized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) in 2023.
NURSING CHALLENGES
Asset Tracking & Management: Workflow Solutions Improve Efficiency
RTLS significantly reduces the time nurses spend searching for medical equipment, allowing more time for direct patient care. A study estimates that $14 billion is wasted annually due to nurses spending a third of their time locating equipment. However, with RTLS when nurses need equipment, they can quickly locate the necessary items, reducing time away from patient care. This real-time location sharing ensures efficient time management and facilitates better patient care. Additionally, RTLS helps prevent equipment shrinkage and losses, optimizing hospital resources.
Staff Duress Solutions: Ensuring Healthcare Enterprise Safety
Healthcare workers face significant risks, including personal safety threats, staffing shortages, and burnout. Incidents of workplace violence are four times more common in healthcare than in other professions. With Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) for staff duress, healthcare facilities can equip workers with wearable panic buttons that trigger discreet alerts, reporting exact locations to security personnel for immediate assistance. This technology not only safeguards staff but also enhances their performance, engagement, and satisfaction, directly improving patient care.
Hand Hygiene Compliance Technology
RTLS Hand Hygiene Monitoring can help Reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) by over 40%. The hand hygiene compliance sensor detects when a badged staff member is nearby and whether the individual has activated the dispenser or hand washing station according to the facility's customized protocols. Compliance data can be viewed at various levels—hospital, departmental, role, or individual—allowing healthcare facilities to audit hand hygiene processes and facilitate workflow enhancements.
Incorporating RTLS technology into healthcare facilities not only improves the safety and efficiency of nursing staff but also enhances patient care and operational effectiveness.
Learn more by downloading the free White Paper here.
