Hospitals have been using security bracelets as a way to keep tabs on their infant population with some good results. But one company recently upgraded its technology to coordinate with local Wi-Fi coverage. The move is designed to increase the tracking range around hospitals that could have applications for a broader patient population.
Stanley Healthcare recently upgraded its Hugs bracelet with better Wi-Fi coverage. The bracelet can track the location of infants anywhere in a hospital where Wi-Fi coverage exists.
If anyone attempts to leave a monitored area with a protected child without authorization, the bracelet activates an alarm, magnetic door locks and holds a specific elevator. Staff and security can locate a protected child anywhere in the hospital by accessing the system’s Web browser-based application from any PC or mobile device.
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The system uses a smart tag that goes on the infant. Once activated, it requires authorization to remove the tag. The old system used wireless signaling with receivers in the ceiling. The newer version uses access points in the hospital. It is also designed to work with admissions and discharge systems.
Data coming from the tag is processed by the hospital server and that data is displayed from a browser-based interface. It has also partnered with nurse communications company Vocera to alert nurses by text message or email.
The FBI highlighted some troubling trends associated with baby abductions such as an increase in the use of social media to identify new parents and a move to make direct contact with parents.
But infant security isn’t the only application for these bracelets. The technology is also being used for patient identification and to prevent vulnerable patients from wandering off. Conceivably it could also reduce the risk of things like medication errors.
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In a phone interview, Steve Elder, Stanley Healthcare’s senior marketing manager for security and protection, told MedCity News: “We’re approaching this technology from a security and safety perspective to monitor wander-prone patients as well as patient flow. It’s also indirectly addressing the issue of patient identification.”
Stanley’s bracelet upgrade reflects a wide range of approaches companies are taking to use bracelets. One company, IntelligentM, is using them to improve hygiene among hospital staff. It developed a smart bracelet that works with RFID tags to remind staff they need to wash their hands and monitor how vigorously they apply themselves. Researcher Cory Cornelius at Dartmouth College is working to develop a biometric bracelet that could interpret the wearer’s response to a weak electrical signal. It would use the unique response to let medical devices such as blood-pressure cuffs identify the wearer and send measurements to his or her electronic medical record.