Wyld Networks launches wireless mesh-based solution connecting loT sensors and smartphones in a heterogeneous network of people and things to increase productivity
Hospitals are large, complex facilities that include miles and miles of similar looking hallways, offices, treatment areas and patients rooms. Communicating with staff, rolling out dynamic and real time workflow, keeping track of assets, staff and patients is a daunting challenge. Industry estimates suggest that these operational challenges contribute to delayed procedure start times, decreased clinician productivity and lost medical equipment, specimens and supplies.
A study conducted by Zebra Technologies provides an insight into the improvement not only in operational care, but all is patient care delivered through the adoption of application rich mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets integrated with loT devices into a wireless network.
The combination and integration of smartphones and loT sensor devices into a wireless network is increasingly being recognised and exploited as a platform for innovation in healthcare; to help ease the stress on the system, improve patient care, create workflow efficiencies, manage assets and better utilise limited resources.
Wyld Network's technology can mesh all staff smartphones to create an infrastructure-lite edge based communications network. Coupled with Wyld Connect solutions that integrate fixed sensors such as asset trackers, the mesh creates networks connecting staff to staff, staff to sensors and sensors to staff in a low latency secure and resilient network. This facilitates the collating of patient information, directing the workforce and managing building operations, without the need for expensive dedicated wired or wireless infrastructure.
Wyld Connect LPWAN connects sensors to the wireless mesh network. Linking Bluetooth or existing sensor networks to the smartphone mesh network means sensor data can be delivered through the computational ability of a smartphone application without the need to transfer the data to a centralised cloud based solution. The most basic application could be wirelessly connecting bluetooth emergency bed alarms to the smartphone mesh network.
Wyld technology allows administrators to create geofenced areas within hospitals such as A&E departments. Staff can be allocated to these geozoned locations creating user groups. Staff can then can be provided with content specific communication relating to each geozone. Staff allocation can easily be managed within each location both inside and outside of that geofence area within the Hospital complex.
Hospital's operations benefit by employing real-time data from sensors to improve operations. Smart buildings are utilising this data to increase sustainability practices by using water, energy, and building resources, such as heating and ventilation, more efficiently. Simple but efficient methods of managing basic cleanliness at the hospital might include integrating sensors into hand hygiene dispensers to provide data on usage or alerting people in proximity to use the dispensers and inform operations of when to refill. By linking dispenser use to nearby door-opening, a correlation can be made between dispenser use and traffic.
Building management will be able to improve security by leveraging Wyld smartphone mesh technology to provide an improved level of situational awareness and presence detection.
For example, not only will security be able to locate staff and potentially patients, as they move throughout a hospital campus, but the system will be able to broadcast or individually message them. The patterns of messaging by user and location can then deliver insights into how critical scenarios are managed as well as offer community information delivery and engagement.
Delivering efficiency gains in hospitals is recognised as a key objective for most hospital management teams. Tagging objects such as mobile medical equipment or beds with WiFi tags or Bluetooth sensors can deliver measurable efficiencies of both assets and staff. The smartphone mesh with embedded application can track objects through the hospital and create messages and alerts to staff if the objects leave predefined geofenced areas.
The Wild Mesh platform has the capability to alleviate many of the operational and healthcare issues in a hospital environment through its ability to seamlessly connect assets and people.