Colchester General Hospital is deploying wireless technology to track the whereabouts of valuable and potentially lifesaving clinical equipment across its estate.

The deployment is made up of an Ekahau real-time location tracking system (RTLS), which leverages the hospital’s existing wireless network. Ekahau RTLS tags have been fitted to various items including wheelchairs, beds, portable ventilators, cardiac monitors, humidification units and even a commode.

Using the hospital Wi-Fi system, the tags can communicate with the RTLS controller and vision software which means that the clinical staff can act swiftly and simply locate an item from their personal computer or laptop.

“In the past staff would spend up to 45 minutes trying to track down specific equipment. Using these tags has meant that the critical care outreach nurses can start life-saving treatment quicker than previously possible which has had a very positive impact on the deteriorating patients we get called to,” said Danny Cummings, a nurse with the critical outreach team, Colchester General Hospital.

As well as finding an item, clinical staff can also use the system to trace its movement around the hospital. If an item is removed from the hospital, the system can alert staff members and it is easy to identify the time it went off-site and where it was last located.