Patient Tracking Devices - Tag Types

 Most of the world’s progressive hospitals and other medical facilities are now using today’s current technologies for improved services. One of these is the use of the latest patient tracking devices Melbourne. 

This is actually part of the general use of tracking technology adopted by hospitals for their equipments, their staff, and most especially their patients. The point is to ensure that patients get the right medicine and care. 

Services

Aside from the great services it does to the patients, the hospitals’ other aim is to reduce expenses. The technology is another effective means to improve many aspects that were not addressed before. 

These days, there is now a system of locating misplaced equipments and other hospital items that are critical (wheelchairs, infusion pumps, heart monitors, and other larger pieces of equipments). With the more efficient work flow, hospitals save much manpower hours.

This does not include the fact that patients’ lives are sometimes compromised if not for the efficiency afforded by the tracking system.

RFID solutions

With the advent of RFID (radio frequency identification), issues of tracking and locating patients are now technologically-assisted. This means better efficiency, less wasted time, and better use of many other hospital assets.

The solution is to attach RFID tags (or transponders) to anything that needs tracking and location. Within the facility, these patient tracking devices inform the locating readers placed in strategic points.

Types

There are two main RFID tags available: passive and active tags.  The passive tags do not have a power source. It is powered by the locating reader that activates the tag’s circuits that has the pre-programmed information embedded in its memory.

An active tag has a battery that powers itself and its antenna. There are several considerations in deciding the use of a specific type of tag. These include environmental factors, application purposes and the degree of accuracy needed in locating an item or a person.

Passive tags

This type gives the medical facility the ability to recognize and record when a tag is in the area of a reader’s antenna. (Antennas can be installed anywhere it is necessary, depending on the use of such and the size of the facility. Usually they are installed in ‘choke points’ like doorways.)

Passive tags are used on patients and machines. Usually, on people, they are in the form of a wristband containing a built-in RFID transponder. On machines, they are usually cards attached to metallic equipments.

Active tags

This type provides constant visibility of the people and objects equipped with the tags or cards. It is considered a listener. The system receives the beacons coming from the tags which can be programmed to periodically signal its whereabouts.

Alarms are generated for unauthorized movements of the tags at specified times and places. For inventory counts (or checking), the tags can automatically wake up and report their presence on designated periods. Missing such, an alarm is again generated for authorities to respond to.

At present, these patient tracking devices Melbourne are doing excellent work in helping hospitals and other medical facilities improve on their services, especially to patients with memory disabilities.

RFID Hospital Patient Tracking - Active Uses

 RFID technology has come a long way since the days they were first used to tag equipments, vehicles, expensive animals being moved and some that are stored. These days, the RFID hospital patient tracking system is a top-line technology and is quite effective in its designated use.

These days, the RFIDs are also used not just to track patients but also used in tracking doctors and expensive medical equipments. These tags are attached onto ID bracelets worn by all concerned.  Sometimes, they are exclusively used on patients requiring special attention whose locations are constantly monitored.

The systems are now provided with electronic links for wireless communication of patient data. Medical authorities can do an instant assessment on critical equipments and people or their locations through GPS-blended RFIDs.

Benefits

The benefits of the rfid hospital patient tracking are immediate and practical. First, is the continuous tracking of each patient’s location. On equipments, authorities don’t lose connection with their expensive instruments and equipments.

Also, with the tracking device at work, no unauthorized person can enter designated restricted areas of the hospital (pediatrics, drugs, etc.). Sometimes, some areas are altogether restricted not just patients but including hospital personnel. These are in times of emergencies, terrorist threats, epidemics and other extreme cases.

The latest models have transponders embedded in them to allow recording of the some patient information, usually including health history and allergies, if any. The RFID tags can be used to access the information for review and updates. 

Tracking files

Usually, the patient’s files contain important data like address, medical details, health history, allergies, prescriptions, clinical reports, test results and certificates, name of attending doctors, and insurance company details.

The technology uses the unique code and handheld readers that can communicate with the tags embedded in the files and locating them. This effectively reduces the human factor and consequently manpower reduction. In the meantime, the patient is immediately cared for.  

The RFID is usually made of high-resistant plastic material with a single-use clasp and a transponder embedded in it. The tag effective allows the tracking, identification and location of the patient. The system can limit their departure or access to certain areas in the facility.

ER patient tracking
One other significant use of RFID is centered on the patient’s whereabouts and condition after treatment and care at the hospital’s emergency room. The tracking software is integrated with the hospital’s own ED system where they are given an RFID tag. (This also integrates with the RFID tags worn by physicians and other ED staff.)

After the tags have been time-stamped, all the other patient information is sent to the system. Those with acute conditions are helped by the tracking system to get the hospital’s critical quality metrics and are immediately administered with the correct processes.

As the patient moves around, the system sends real-time updates. The staff can view the patient’s location on large-screen tracking grid at individual stations or on their mobile devices. This is the gist of the RFID hospital patient tracking at work.

Telephone Systems - Business Backbone for a Country

The telephone systems Australia had come a long way since its first manual exchange in 1880 in Melbourne and the automatic version in 1912 in Victoria. Today, with its state-of-the-art technology provided for by the world’s top phone systems providers, Australia is in step with the world’s leading economies.

The telephone has always been a partner and a guide to a country’s progress in business by way of its strides in communications. With communications, business grows faster, with the resulting interchange in commerce and industry in any part of the world.

Without the discovery and use, plus the speed of communication afforded by the phone, today’s businesses might still be a horse-and-buggy operations and could be working only just as fast.

System basics

Known just barely vaguely by the general public, a phone system as we know it is simply a connection for communications between two parties. (Nowadays, there is such a thing as conferencing which involves more than two parties.) These connected people are usually business people or people with personal interest on the others as relatives or as friends.

The components that make up the whole system is very simple (or had been made simple through years of innovations and upgrades and developments) and can be simply explained as well.

Components

First, there is the base unit. This is the infrastructure that controls the whole phone system. Metaphorically, this might be referred to as the heart of the system. This is where you can determine the many features you may add to your system.

This is also the basis where you can determine the number of phones it can have and the number of lines that it can handle as well.

Handsets

The handsets are the actual units one uses in making and receiving calls. This is the most representative image of the phone. Before, black was the only available color (dependent on the materials used in making it).

Today, almost all kinds of colors are available. They also come now in a variety of sizes, styles, forms and capabilities. They also come in many tiers in pricing. They are sometime broken down as basic, mid-level, and high-end, as well as those used as receptionist sets and conference table units.

Wiring

This, actually, is the most important aspect in a phone system. If you plan to have your company grow in the future, you need to plan ahead even before installing your present system. They call this as “future-proofing” your system.

You may need to check on the places where you will install your extra lines or extra units in the future. With present planning, you will avoid unnecessary expenses in the installation of additional equipments, devices, wirings, and all that to accommodate your present (future) communications requirements. 

Installation is the most time-intensive part in setting up your phone system. For savings, you can have your provider make this a part of their service, including personnel training of your employees. As it is, your company shall be part of a burgeoning group of business enterprises, all of which are using the modern telephone systems Australia.

Nurse Call - Basic Necessity

With sprawling urban centers on the rise all over the world, including progressive Australia, there is also the increase of the number of health facilities serving the burgeoning population. With them also come the many services that are now technology-assisted, such as a nurse call Australia.

This is actually an extra addition to the machines and devices that hospitals and health centers use to make their care services succeed in the most efficient manner. When human ingenuity is overtaken by the complexity of the system, technology helps make it efficient.

The system

There are many systems for calling nurses offered by many manufacturing companies. The main appeal to the new facility users is the increased ease in the use of the systems and their attendant devices.

With the basic task of calling the attention of staff nurses regarding their patients, technology had also made thing go with the times. There are other things that the system include together with the devices connected to them. 

Digital and wireless

Most of the popular systems these days run wireless. First, there are many wireless transmitters strategically placed all over the facility where these are needed. There might be wireless LCD reader boards, nursing stations, staff lounges, and others. The alarms would come from various device ID’s issued to patients (pendant transmitters, etc). 

The consoles will then get that station to display the alarm information once activated. Sometimes, in bigger facilities, things are into more complex setups. There might be a paging transmitter or a cell phone text modem integrated so the alarms can be displayed on a staffer’s pocket pager or phone at once.  

Other uses

There will audible tones and visual display of the room number and name of the one needing help.
The receiving consoles are also scattered where the right personnel can immediately respond to the patient’s call for assistance.

In big facilities, there are now added wireless emergency pull stations in bathrooms, dome lights over doors, or even code blue stations for priority emergencies. Other rooms with the devices include exam rooms, psychiatric wards, procedure rooms, waiting areas, or any area that staff or patients would need to signal asking for assistance.

Devices

The devices, sometimes referred to as wireless emergency response transmitters are carried not only by patients but are also placed in critical areas (bathroom pull stations, code blue stations, push button stations).

The patients have their wrist and necklace panic buttons, fall alarm pendants (in cases of patients falling) and more. The system monitors not just the patients carrying them but also the other critical areas for patients.

Application and equipment options

The system is now in use in places other than medical health facilities and hospitals for nurses and other hospital staff. They are now also used in assisted living facilities (nursing homes, housing for seniors), convalescent centers and even in schools and gated communities. 

The equipments have several options as well. There are wireless patient stations, pull stations, wireless pendants and wrist transmitters, pocket page alarms and many more according to the needs of the facility. Nurse call and technology had come a long way.