by
Loren Bonner, DOTmed News Online Editor | July 20, 2012
From the July 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
“Recently, we found a way to integrate our CenTrak Gen2IR tags with existing Wi-Fi infrastructure. Our tags can roam around from place to place and be seen under Wi-Fi or not, so it all works together seamlessly,” says Naim.
Ekahau’s system can also work with a hospital’s Wi-Fi network. “We look at our approach as a cost-effective solution. The wireless reader is already there and it’s just a question of software and tags and then the dispenser that can be retrofitted with an Ekahau component to capture the hand hygiene event,” says Rutanen.
Sonitor Technologies Inc., based in Seattle, specializes in ultrasound RTLS for health care to track movement, assets as well as hand hygiene compliance. “Its accuracy is the highest of any of the technologies because of the fact that it’s not affected by windows, bright lights or clothing,” says Dick Tabbutt, executive chairman of Sonitor.
He says that other common location technologies, like infrared light, are affected by these things; and the downside to Wi-Fi is its inability to track more than 50 to 110 feet.
AeroScout licenses Sonitor’s technology in its system.
Striving for perfection
Versus originally based its hand hygiene monitoring systems on the universal “gelling in” and “gelling out” concept practiced by patient caregivers. But based on feedback from caregivers at Johns Hopkins and Cedars Sinai—the two hospitals that tested the system for the Joint Commission’s study—Versus ended up adjusting some parameters. In addition to tracking every time a caregiver hits the dispenser, being “compliant” in a hand washing event also means the caregiver must perform the action within a certain amount of time.
“Basically, they can set the rules depending on room set up, like if they gel inside or outside the room,” says Tenarvitz. “The customer could decide [to allow] a window of 10 seconds in the hallway after leaving the room.”
Changes like this were established on the third generation of Versus’ system—mostly as a result of feedback.
“People don’t really want to be tracked. But if you go talk to them about what the system is actually doing and get their input and how it would make their lives easier and get those things in the system, then they will support it,” says Tenarvitz.
AeroScout’s Miller, a nurse herself, says there’s been a real shift in how nurses view technology in their workflow. “They are asking for it and are more receptive to it,” she says.
Nonetheless, integrating a fully capable and 100 percent accurate RTLS is easier said than done.
“Nurses are very fast people. They are smacking the dispenser at lightning speed, so we’re trying to pick up a very fast event and track if they are approaching a patient. We have to do the location within seconds,” says Naim.
