On the Pulse: Boost Productivity & Save Lives with Wireless Technology for Healthcare

In the healthcare industry, details aren’t just important, they’re critical. In fact, the details of any given situation can make the difference in saving lives. As a result, it’s integral that healthcare facilities stay on the forefront of wireless and mobile technology that enables seamless processes and communication.

Equipped with smart wireless technology, your staff will be able to work more efficiently, saving time and energy that can be devoted to more important endeavors. This increased staff productivity will not be lost on your patients, who will feel confident they’re getting the best care possible in your facility. In this post, we uncover how the proper application of wireless technology can bolster healthcare outcomes, increase productivity, stretch tight budgets, and improve the experience for both staff and patients.

Streamlining the Healthcare Experience

When a patient enters the hospital, there’s no doubt they want to see a doctor or nurse as quickly as possible. Likewise, when healthcare providers are on call, they want nothing more than to help patients and make positive differences in people’s lives. As a manager, you have the ability to bring doctors, nurses and patients together quicker than ever before by investing in forward thinking wireless technology. This technology can provide a wide assortment of benefits in several areas throughout your facilities, including:

• Patient Care – With the right combination of mobile applications and wireless networks, doctors and nurses will have access to secure and accurate patient information, allowing them to make better informed decisions quickly.
• Operational Efficiency – Secure wireless technology gives staff the tools needed to know what supplies they have, how to access them, and where they need to be transported. What’s more, this technology drastically reduces human error, as well, and allows caregivers to connect remotely to track patient progress.
• IT Operations – With a properly optimized IT network, staff will have access to reliable mobile voice and data solutions

To break things down even further, modern wireless technology can assist hospital staff with:

• Patient Identification – Proper identification of a patient is the first step toward administering treatment. Wireless technology like barcoding allows patient information to be stored and accessed easily from a central hub, meaning healthcare providers can confidently make decisions based on a patient’s current state, as well as their history.
• Patient Monitoring – Wireless technology provides doctors and nurses with the ability to freely move around facilities while still being able to monitor vital signs and adjust equipment remotely. Not only does this mean staff can save time associated with walking back and forth to patient’s rooms, it also allows staff to confidently monitor more patients at any given time.
• Internal Communications – Many wireless technologies including badges, phones and radios can be used to better connect people. Staff can stay in better contact, and technologies can tie into the nurse call systems to seamlessly stay in touch with patients. This means critical information can be passed on faster than ever before, and the time spent to communicate in person is minimized.
• Laboratory Management – Wireless technology and applications allow researchers to easily identify and track samples. By reducing the risk of human error and cutting overall costs, lab productivity can be increased which further serves to protect patient safety. For example, barcode scanners and mobile printers can be integrated to popular lab systems like Meditech to further improve both productivity and accuracy.
• Pharmacy Management – Accurate and timely distribution of medication is integral to any pharmacy, and wireless technology can help immediately confirm and record dosages as they’re being prepared. Additionally, wireless technology can reduce human error and improve overall operations, saving the pharmacy money.
• Medication Administration – Patients need to receive their medication quickly, and nurses need to ensure they are delivering the right medication to the right person. Handheld computers or tablets equipped with the proper apps can scan medication so staff know it’s going to the right patient. This streamlines the administration process, as well as increases accountability.

Capable and Secure WiFi Becoming the Shared Wireless Network

Already widely deployed for traditional networking throughout the Healthcare Vertical, a well-designed WiFi network drives new improvements by allowing flexibility and efficiency of clinical services. WiFi is well suited for these dynamic environments because it offers high performance, high security and a ubiquitous ecosystem.

In addition to the variety of applications above that use and rely on WiFi, other scenarios utilize WiFi. These include infusion pumps, oxygen monitoring devices, and smart beds, working alongside mission-critical information applications such as access to electronic medical records (EMRs), real-time access to X-rays, and MRI scans. Medical telepresence delivered via WiFi also helps scale provision of high-quality healthcare to remote and under served areas.

WiFi helps healthcare IT managers eliminate the struggle associated with on-boarding new devices, and the technology is well suited to meet the growing connectivity demands from patients and their families in waiting rooms and lobbies. As the number of WiFi devices connecting healthcare networks grows, the use of reputable WiFi equipment from leading companies like Zebra Technologies and Cisco Systems, helps ensure widespread inter-operability and a good user experience.

Improving Your Facility’s Vital Signs

Concerns for patient safety, staff well being, and financial stability should be top priorities for any healthcare facility. Making the choice to invest in your facility’s wireless technology can give your team the tools they need to increase productivity and reduce errors, which in turn can save money as well as lives.

We are working with healthcare managers in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and across Canada to put wireless to work for their organizations. For more information on how healthcare managers can use wireless and mobile technology to benefit their facilities, contact us today at 1-888-908.6682.

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