Multitone says its workflow mobile tasking ‘app’ can ‘minimise the risks to patient care caused by difficulties in locating beds, mattresses, and other vital healthcare equipment.
The company said: “When a specific item is required, it can take hours, or even days, to locate. Consider how many thousands of pieces of equipment there are in a typical hospital, and the size of the problem becomes clear. This can include missing beds, mattresses, drip stands, and even syringe drivers, to name but a few commonly misplaced items.”
Peter Lomax, Multitone’s director of Strategic Partnerships, said: “NHS budgets are incredibly tight, making the effective tracking of hospital assets crucial. Indeed, it has been calculated that annual savings of £50,000 - £100,000 are possible by reducing the cost of replacing vital equipment – simply by being able to track and manage currently held assets. “Our asset tracking system is an effective, quickly and easily installable solution, whatever existing healthcare communication and IT infrastructures are in place.”
The ‘solution’ sees a passive RFID tag – comprising a small chip programmed with a unique asset identification number, incorporating a barcode – attached to each piece of equipment. Multitone explained: “Tracking stations located at key choke points identify and track each item as it moves from location to location. The solution is fully encrypted for safety and security, with GS1 standard barcodes. When an item needs cleaning or repairing, a task can be forwarded quickly to the right team to get the equipment available and back into service.”
Claimed benefits of using Multitone’s asset management solution include: locating beds and other vital equipment; flagging up availability of empty beds; repairing equipment more rapidly, and increased compliance. The company added: “Using Multitone’s asset management solution and its easy-to-use workflow mobile tasking app can minimise the risk to patient care by identifying essential and life-critical equipment, save money, and increase staff efficiencies. It also gives the ability to audit, as all messages are tracked, time-stamped, and recorded for event review and audit.”
