Why RTLS technology provides relief and greater efficiency in times of a shortage of skilled workers

Nurse Melanie has 3 minutes to locate the mobile ultrasound machine on the ward. It is not where she thought it would be. She has to move on to the next patient.
She will have to look for it again later. Everyday life in German hospitals is not only characterized by too few staff and overtime, nursing staff also waste valuable  time searching for diagnostic equipment, infusion pumps, portable monitors, beds, wheelchairs and other equipment. Time that is missing for the patient. The cost pressure in German hospitals is high. As is the sickness rate with stressed staff – exacerbated by the shortage of skilled workers. Clever digital solutions can provide real relief here. The RFID-based RTLS (real-time location system) eliminates search times and has an impact on staff productivity and motivation.

As early as 2018, McKinsey confirmed in its study on “Digitalization in the healthcare sector: the opportunities for Germany” [1] that the automation of work processes in hospitals through the use of RFID tracking technology would amount to 1 billion euros.
“The tracking of all assets, such as diagnostic tools, beds and expensive medication” is one of the potential savings in hospitals, according to the authors of the study. “Resource management using radio frequency identification (RFID), for example, improves staff efficiency and reduces inventory losses in acute care hospitals.” Considering that the situation in German hospitals in 2024 has become even more acute following the pandemic, the acute staff shortage and an increasingly ageing society, the urgency of using such automation technologies also becomes clear. “The hospital dilemma of the 3K: no money, no staff, no time – could be solved technologically. To relieve the burden on staff and improve patient care.”

1. the zones In order to establish seamless tracking in the hospital, the buildings are divided into zones. At the transition points from one zone to the next, RFID readers record medical devices, consumables and other assets, such as wheelchairs. These are fitted with RFID transponders in advance and registered in the system. These readers can be installed under the ceiling or invisibly under ceiling tiles. Not only do the zone ceiling readers register the objects, they can also be identified by hospital staff using handheld devices.

2. the transponders In hospital operations, RFID transponders must be able to withstand cleaning with disinfectant. As a rule, transponders that meet the IP68 standard are chosen. Such robust tags are detected by the zone readers and pinpoint the location of each individual object. 3. the software The RFID data read in the zones or by handheld is transferred to IoT software, which is displayed to employees in the desired visualized form. The localization shows them the location of the object they are looking for. Simply as a search result on their tablet. The connection to internal hospital IT systems is usually useful for analyzing processes (e.g. which devices are needed more frequently and where) and making better data-based decisions (when is the best time for maintenance work).

Electromagnetic fields in the operating theater?
This leaves some people with a queasy feeling.
Unfounded, as the World Health Organization (WHO) in studies [2] found out.
No adverse health effects were found from the use of RFID in hospitals.
Even with prolonged use or regular exposure, RFID is safe for humans.

Every new digital acquisition must fit into the hospital’s tight budget. However, many controllers are aware that a purely annual approach to digital automation solutions would not be correct. When making investment decisions for the introduction of an RTLS system, the controlling department will always take into account the current personnel costs of sick leave, staff turnover, low productivity or operational inefficiency. A quick ROI can be calculated as part of a proof of concept as a basis for decision-making. The bottom line is that the financial loss without an automated tracking system will be more expensive in the long term than the investment in such a system. This does not include the future savings potential through process optimization.

By using real-time location services RTLS, hospitals can relieve their staff and streamline health-critical processes. Today’s most innovative RTLS systems offer a fast ROI through short implementation time. The result is maximum operational efficiency and staff productivity. Motivation and the impact on health through an improved working day should not be underestimated given the current staff shortages. The advantages

• Better patient care through diagnostic device tracking
• Locate critical assets quickly
• Automatic, precise inventory management
• Lower operating costs
• High productivity

What does this mean for each individual employee?

• More time for tasks & patients
• No exhausting search
• Visibility on inventory (tablet)
• Fast: Search and find via mobile device

Sources:[1] McKinsey study “Digitalization in healthcare: the opportunities for Germany, 2018, p. 4, Fig.
1 %20east/deutschland/news/presse/2018/2018-09-25-digitalisierung%8/2018-09-25-digitalisierung20im20gesundheitswesen/langfassung20digitalisierung20im20gesundheitswesen__neu.pdf[2] RFID Journal in “Are there any health risks associated with RFID and radio waves?”