There are various solutions that may increase the productivity, safety and care level in hospitals. Many of them use specific devices, such as smart tags. But, what are smart tags in healthcare? How are they used to improve the work of medical facilities? You can learn that by reading this article, so if this topic interests you – read on.
What are healthcare tags?
Healthcare tags are the devices, often Internet of Things (IoT) ones, that are used to improve the work of medical facilities. They might be attached to different things, including:
- patients,
- hospital staff,
- hospital equipment,
- rooms.
These devices are used in various complex systems that ensure a smooth workflow in a medical facility, safety of the patients and staff, the right conditions of medicine storage and asset management. As such, they come with numerous benefits.
How are smart tags used in healthcare? – Key benefits
There is a plethora of uses for smart tags in healthcare. They are a part of large systems which boost productivity, increase revenue and create a safer environment for patients and employees. The list of use cases includes:
- Enhancing communication – Clinical staff and patients need to communicate. Yet, many issues could be resolved automatically. Smart tags are a quick way to call for a nurse, create automated reports and react to alerts.
- Improving safety and security – Smart tags are used in healthcare to increase the safety and security of the patients. It is, for instance, possible to verify whether a staff member has sanitized their hands by installing these devices. Smart tags are also an excellent way to quickly alert the security during dangerous situations, ensuring that patients will leave the hospital safe and sound.
- Boosting patient flow – Equipping each patient with a tag gives the hospital better control over what happens. A bed is free, and there is a patient waiting? It will be easy to allocate them. A patient caught an infectious disease? You can check whom he saw and isolate any potentially contaminated patients and staff members.
- Increasing productivity – Smart tags are also used in healthcare to increase productivity, namely in asset management systems. They are attached to pieces of equipment to reduce the time nurses spend on searching for it, giving them more time to take proper care of the patients.
- Measuring medicine storage conditions – Another use of smart tags is connected with medicine. Many pharma products require strict storage conditions. Even a short change in them might make these drugs unusable or even dangerous for patients’ health. Smart tags are used to control these conditions and alert the staff in cases of any abnormalities.
Conclusions
Smart tags are widely used in healthcare. They are mainly installed to improve communication between patients and the staff, enhance equipment management and to ensure that everything is stored in proper conditions. The effect that these small devices have on healthcare is impressive – thus it is surprising that not all hospitals have started using them yet.