LIANHE ZAOBAO| 27 Feb 2025
We spent more than two years planning and testing before successfully introducing the new system. The tags used are very thin and can be attached to different equipment, with each tag costing less than $1. We can use them to track almost all equipment in the hospital.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Enhances Real-Time Location System to Track Medical Equipment, Saving 20,000 Work Hours Annually for Healthcare Staff
Tracking and managing medical equipment, from hospital beds and ventilators to IV stands, often consumes a significant amount of time for healthcare staff. To improve efficiency, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) has introduced a new Real-Time Location System (RTLS) to streamline these processes.
In the interview, Alvin Kuo, the Assistant Director of Operations Management at KTPH, explained that the hospital’s RTLS consists of two systems. The first is the “Active RTLS,” implemented in 2021, which tracks approximately 1,500 medical devices. The second is the “Passive RTLS,” adopted in September last year, which primarily utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. This system can now track nearly 10,000 medical devices and supplies in real-time. KTPH is also the first public hospital in Singapore to implement this system.
Source: HealthCareAsiaMagazine.com
He further explained that the Active RTLS system updates equipment locations approximately every 10 minutes. However, due to the larger size of the tracking tags and the need for regular battery replacements, this system is not suitable for all medical devices.
The advantage of the new Passive RTLS system lies in its smaller tags, which do not interfere with the operation of smaller devices. When tagged items move and pass under RFID antennas installed on the hospital ceiling, the system automatically detects them and updates their latest location with an accuracy of up to 99%.
Read more at zaobao.com.sg
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