Ensuring time is on your side

 Automation driven by software is not a new concept. Ever since computer and networking technologies have matured, many large commercial and healthcare facilities have implemented automated building management systems that provide distributed monitoring and remote control of a facility’s major mechanical and electrical systems, such as ventilation, lighting, power management, fire alarm, security, and emergency evacuation systems. However, such comprehensive and sophisticated building automation systems often prove to be too costly or complex for some hospitals to consider. Now, with the rapid growth of IP (Internet Protocol)-enabled and wireless (802.11 Wi-Fi) technologies, healthcare organisations that may have lacked the resources to implement full-blown building automation can tap into emerging wireless and networking technologies that leverage the capabilities of their existing Ethernet LAN and/or wireless IT infrastructures to automate highly targeted processes and procedures. Similarly, larger hospitals and networked healthcare campuses can utilise these emerging technologies to complement existing building automation systems, because, even in hospitals with such systems, there are still applications not fully covered. With the trend today towards IT convergence, this blending of new and existing software applications makes sound business sense. In healthcare, as in other industries, innovative Wi-Fi based automation solutions are being developed to overcome challenges and automate processes and procedures required for an organisation to operate safely, efficiently, and costeffectively. In most hospitals today, these procedures tend to be performed manually, are time- and labour-intensive, often inaccurate, and are certainly not the most productive use of hospital staff and resources. Three prime examples of how targeted, emerging Wi-Fi applications can be put to effective use in healthcare environments are:

•  Wireless time synchronisation systems that ensure accurate timekeeping of analogue and digital clocks and computers throughout the facility.
• Wireless temperature and/or humidity monitoring systems for rooms that require temperature or humidity control, and/or refrigerators in which vaccines and other expensive pharmaceutical products are temporarily stored.
•  Intelligent power management systems designed to save on energy consumption and reduce the facility’s carbon footprint.

This article will discuss how these targeted applications can deliver high value to healthcare facilities, explain the underlying technology platform, and how each software-based application works in a busy hospital environment, as well as illustrating how process automation can be achieved in a cost-effective manner to improve accuracy and workflow efficiency, while reducing costs and waste. Most important to note is how these new technologies can help make hospitals and clinic facilities better equipped to comply both with industry standards, and with regulatory requirements to improve the overall quality of patient care.