Location systems could offer greater precision, data.

Abstract

Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology 197 With some hospitals reporting asset shrinkage in the millions of dollars, real-time indoor location systems deserve a closer examination. Companies have been working on indoor location systems (ILS) for tracking assets and patients for 10 years, but the industry is in still in its infancy. In early attempts, this technology provided too slow an update rate to accurately locate moving assets or people. These were often modified systems that were originally utilized to track goods in warehouses. Other systems in the past were unreliable or came with infrastructure costs that were too prohibitive to justify a reasonable rate of return. Today, the outlook has improved because of technological advancements and a better understanding by producers of the real-life implications of the complex environments in hospitals. Producers are recognizing that people sometimes hoard, steal, and abuse equipment and other assets. As a result, robust systems are being developed that can survive the tough environment within the hospital setting. This article will address location technologies with an emphasis on real-time location systems, and the varying need for data rates and location precision. Methods Used for Location Systems There are 3 major approaches used in locating assets and people in hospitals today. The first of these is portal management. Retailers often use these systems for theft detection. The systems only let users know when something or someone is in the portal (doorway), but once they are through, there is no location information. The second concept is contact systems. These systems require that a tag be in contact with a reader, such as a barcode reader. The problem with these systems is that you must first know where something is before you make contact with the reader. The third concept is real-time location systems. All real-time locating systems include some sort of a tag that is attached to a person or object. There are 3 competing technologies utilized in today’s tags: radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared (IR), and radios (RF). These tags are active in that they broadcast unique information associated with the tag. These systems can provide a vast amount of information on asset utilization and can give insights on patient and process flows.