August 2019, Singapore Healthcare Management 2019 Conference

Singapore Healthcare Management 2019 Winning Poster “Managing Hospital Wide Mobile Assets Centrally with Real Time Location System (RTLS)” submitted by Seng Kang General Hospital

Introduction

By centrally managing hospitalwide mobile assets with RTLS, the hospital aims to:
• Optimise assets by driving higher utilization with reduced asset numbers.
• Deploy assets efficiently to handle fluctuating operational needs.
• Enable nurses to spend more time on patient care duties by relieving them of having to spend time searching for, or sighting assets.

Method:

Asset Tracking

Central Asset Management (CAM) tags the assets with active RFID (Radio-Frequency identification) tags to track and identify the whereabouts of these assets.

Centralised Ownership Model

Hospital-wide mobile assets such as wheelchairs, patient transfer trolleys, hospital beds, infusion and syringe pumps, are owned and centrally managed by CAM.

Automated Corrective Maintenance Process

A press button on the RTLS allows users to indicate that Corrective Maintenance is required; it will trigger asset location information for porters to pick-up and deliver the asset to the workshop.

Dynamic Asset Deployment
CAM is able to deploy the assets to the desired hospital locations based on minimum and maximum par level configurations.

Results

Equipment Reduction
Infusion pumps 168
Syringe pumps 300
Patient transfer trolleys 38
Wheelchairs 293
Total reduction of about $ 900k

Preventive Maintenance Time Saved
Maintenance Engineers: 896 hrs/ yr
Nursing: 938 hrs/ yr
• A 30% reduction in asset numbers (wheelchairs, patient transfer trolleys and pumps).
• Nurses’ and Maintenance Engineers’ time saved as less effort is spent in locating/maintaining these equipment.
• With CAM managing these assets centrally, there is no need to return the items to asset owners during patient transfer, resulting in efficient deployment of equipment and personnel. The model of operations has enabled the hospital to provide seamless patient care, by not having to change
equipment for the patient throughout his patient journey in SKH.

Conclusion:

With a centralised asset management model using RTLS, CAM is able to deploy assets optimally and efficiently, according to patient needs. This has led to better patient care through the re-channelling of staff time and effort to more critical needs, such as clinical care.

Singapore Healthcare Management 2019: Shortlisted Poster

Reference: Singapore Healthcare Management 2019 Winning Posters submitted by Seng Kang General Hospital – SHM_OP054 Managing Hospital Wide Mobile Assets Centrally with Real Time Location System (RTLS)