Medical Equipment Real-Time Locating System in Hospitals Based on Bluetooth Low Energy

The medical equipment utilized in hospital settings plays a critical role in patient diagnosis and treatment. Ensuring the proper functioning and availability of these vital assets is of paramount importance. To this end, the implementation of a smart system for tracking medical equipment is a crucial consideration to prevent the loss or misplacement of devices and to facilitate the timely calibration of equipment. Medical devices circulate extensively throughout the various departments and rooms of a hospital and must be readily available for use during treatment procedures. Effectively managing and organizing these assets, however, presents a significant challenge for hospital staff, particularly for biomedical engineers responsible for equipment maintenance and deployment. In the present study, we propose a novel approach to medical equipment tracking that addresses this challenge. The system is comprised of three key components: 1) medical equipment equipped with tracking tags, 2) scanners that detect these tags and determine the three-dimensional location of the equipment, and 3) a smart software solution that receives and analyzes the data from the scanner systems, interpreting the position of the equipment within the hospital environment. The system is designed to accurately identify the location of required medical equipment, specifying the building, floor, department, and room number. The interpreted data is then integrated with the hospital's infrastructure and coding systems to provide comprehensive monitoring and tracking of all medical equipment. Initial trials of the proposed system have yielded promising results, with a location accuracy of 2.3 meters and a 90% reduction in the time required for equipment detection. These findings suggest that the implementation of this smart medical equipment tracking system has the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of hospital operations, ensuring the timely availability of critical medical assets for patient care.