Awarepoint Corp, San Diego, and Skytron, Grand Rapids, Mich, have partnered to create Skytron Asset Manager, an integrated, active RFID asset management and information resource solution to improve hospital patient care, enhance staff productivity, and manage equipment capital and rental expense.
The wireless system consolidates medical equipment information and location needs for mobile and fixed assets, and integrates with Skytron’s SkyVision operating room video and data system to provide equipment information at the point of care. It adds a dimension to information on-demand by incorporating operators’ instructions, maintenance manuals, and parts catalogs into the asset-tracking RFID platform.
Sensors plug into electrical outlets to form the Awarenet mesh network, which forms automatically to track small battery-powered tags attached to equipment or people and allows users to track location and product information from accessible hospital-based computers.
Efficient medical equipment use and effective use of limited staff resources demand a process by which equipment can be found when needed—either for immediate patient care, routine maintenance, or as a result of a product recall.
