Wi-Fi-based location tracking system to be installed in the psychiatric ward of the University Hospital of Innsbruck
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On 16 September 2010, a company that develops Wi-Fi-based
Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) announced that it will provide the
psychiatric ward at the University Hospital of Innsbruck in Austria with
a Wi-Fi-based location tracking technology for an emergency call
system.
The software-based RTLS solution has
been integrated into a personal emergency call system developed by a
provider of software solutions and services in health care for the
psychiatric unit, which encompasses two seven-story buildings and is
served by more than 200 employees.
"Psychiatric units can be dangerous for hospital staff, as patients are
sometimes violent and unpredictable. So, when an attack or an escape
attempt occurs, there is often not enough time to call for help by
conventional means, such as the telephone," said Franz Gruber, chief
nurse of the Psychiatric Clinic at University Hospital Innsbruck.
Mr. Gruber explained that the personal emergency call solution using
RTLS technology enables the hospital staff to trigger an alarm "with the
simple push of a button on a staff badge, or even faster by just
pulling the tag's lanyard", adding that the system then "quickly and
simply conveys information where assistance is needed so those employees
who are closest to the incident can respond."
The RTLS technology enables the personal emergency call system to track
staff location in real time using the hospital's existing wireless local
area network (WLAN). The solution relies on badge tags, which support
two-way text-based communications capabilities and include a panic
button for use in emergency situation.
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