Background
The Centre Hospitalier de Perpignan, first public health institution in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, and third in the region in terms of activity volume, has the mission of offering diagnostic services and ensuring a wide range of medical care.
The Centre Hospitalier de Perpignan needed to improve the management and real-time tracking of infusion pumps and electrical beds, both essential for the daily operations of any hospital. These assets, particularly sought after by technicians for maintenance, are among those most frequently moved within the facility. For this reason, the implementation of a continuous monitoring system was necessary to reduce search times, optimize resource usage, and ensure timely maintenance. Additionally, it was crucial to easily locate lost equipment and return those temporarily borrowed from other departments.
Challenge
The main challenge was ensuring accurate localization of equipment within a hospital environment spanning 75,000 square meters and spread over five floors. The system needed to be simple to implement without the need to connect to power supplies and required minimal maintenance. The goal was to efficiently monitor critical devices, including 800 infusion pumps and 100 electrical beds, which are frequently moved around the hospital.
Solution
The tracking solution was designed and implemented by RFiD Discovery. After a thorough analysis of the hospital’s needs, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, using the Wirepas protocol, was chosen for real-time indoor tracking. This technology was preferred for several reasons: it offers localization with an error margin of only about 3 meters and is easy to configure. In addition, with batteries lasting around 5 years, it is optimized for low energy consumption which keeps the required maintenance to a minimum.
The solution was implemented by installing BlueUp mesh tags on each electric bed to be tracked, and 719 BlueUp mesh anchors across the five floors of the hospital, creating a network that provides complete coverage of critical areas and enables optimal equipment management.
Results
The implementation of RFiD Discovery’s system brought immediate and significant benefits to the Centre Hospitalier de Perpignan. Technicians can now locate and maintain equipment more quickly and efficiently, reducing device downtime and making them available again faster. The decrease in equipment loss has improved overall resource utilization. The system also facilitates the exchange of equipment between departments, allowing healthcare staff to promptly return devices that do not belong to their unit. Additionally, the solution has proven valuable for biomedical engineers, who can now monitor equipment usage and make more informed decisions about future purchases.
