Healthcare technologies have significantly transformed healthcare delivery in the modern world. Health organizations use technologies to improve care safety, quality, and efficiency. Real-time location is a technology used in healthcare to track and manage staff, and medical equipment in healthcare environments. Health organizations use real-time location technology to enhance efficiency, theft, or property loss. The monitoring also safeguards patient safety in healthcare organizations. Real-time location technology has been selected for this essay because it is a new healthcare technology. Health organizations are yet to explore its potential in driving safety, efficiency, and excellence in service delivery. Articles for the annotated bibliography were obtained from databases, including EMBASE, CINAHL, and PubMed. Search terms were utilized for article acquisition. They include real-time location technology, real-time location technology in health, and the impacts of real-time location technology. Articles published over the last five years were included.

Annotated Bibliography

Budak, A., Kaya, İ., Karaşan, A., & Erdoğan, M. (2020). Real-time location systems selection by using a fuzzy MCDM approach: An application in humanitarian relief logistics. Applied Soft Computing92, 106322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2020.106322

            The above study investigated the usage of real-time location technologies and their population increase. It examined performance criteria and evaluated the technologies. Using a combined fuzzy-based decision-making approach, the authors selected the most appropriate real-time location technologies. The study revealed that real-time location technology could be applied to humanitarian relief logistics warehouses to monitor relief activities. Alternatives including ultra-wideband, UHF FRID, Wi-Fi, and Active FRID were considered for real-time location technology. The results revealed that real-time location technology could enhance efficiency in humanitarian warehouses. The benefits can be translated into other environments, including healthcare. The study shows that real-time location technology can be used in nursing to enhance human resources management efficiency and minimize care safety events. This resource was selected because it provides a range of real-time location technology uses in healthcare. It also expands on the existing technologies used for real-time monitoring and evaluation.

Poongodi, M., Sharma, A., Hamdi, M., Maode, M., & Chilamkurti, N. (2021). Smart healthcare in smart cities: Wireless patient monitoring system using IoT. The Journal of Supercomputing77(11), 12230–12255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-021-03765-w

            The above study investigates the use of smart healthcare systems to improve patient outcomes. Specifically, the researchers examined the use of smart navigation systems for ambulances. They discovered that too much time is wasted between information facilitation and patient transfer for specialized treatments in healthcare facilities. As a result, the authors developed a patient monitoring and ambulance tracking system to make timely diagnosis and referral decisions in healthcare. The system uses monitors and transmits breath rate, temperature, and heartbeat to healthcare providers before ambulance deployment. Patients can also request an ambulance instantly without calling the hospital for ambulance deployment. Patients can also track ambulance locations and get instant navigation to the nearest facilities for effective disease management. The article shows the relevance of smart healthcare systems. They can facilitate timely decision-making, patient transfers, and elimination of adverse events in disease management. This article was selected because it provides novel approaches to using smart healthcare technologies to improve patient outcomes. Healthcare providers also learn about other technologies that can be incorporated into smart technologies to improve care outcomes.

Price, J. R., Mookerjee, S., Dyakova, E., Myall, A., Leung, W., Weiße, A. Y., Shersing, Y., Brannigan, E. T., Galletly, T., Muir, D., Randell, P., Davies, F., Bolt, F., Barahona, M., Otter, J. A., & Holmes, A. H. (2021). Development and Delivery of a Real-time Hospital-onset COVID-19 Surveillance System Using Network Analysis. Clinical Infectious Diseases72(1), 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa892

            The above study investigated the design and implementation of a hospital-onset COVID-19 infection (HOCI) surveillance system. The system was adopted for an acute healthcare setting to target prevention interventions. The HOCI incorporated elements of a real-time location system to guide disease detection and prevention interventions. The study was conducted in a large teaching hospital in London, United Kingdom. The researchers utilized patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between 4 March and 14 April 2020. The researchers used electronic healthcare systems to collect data and develop a novel surveillance system for detecting and reporting HOCI incidents. The results revealed that the real-time surveillance system detected COVID-19 changing rates and informed decisions made to prevent disease spread and manage cases. The article shows that HOCI technology is important to nursing and healthcare in facilitating disease monitoring, evaluation, and implementation of change interventions. Healthcare providers can use the article to develop innovative systems for timely disease surveillance and management.

Dwivedi, R., Mehrotra, D., & Chandra, S. (2022). Potential of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) applications in building a smart healthcare system: A systematic review. Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research12(2), 302–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.11.010

            The above study is a systematic review that identified the role of Internet of Medical Things applications in improving the healthcare system. The article also analyzed previous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the Internet of Medical Things to the patient and healthcare teams. Additionally, the researchers explore technologies that supplement the Internet of Medical Things and the challenges encountered in developing a smart healthcare system. The results of this study revealed that the Internet of Medical Things has resolved difficulties associated with remote monitoring, robotics, telemedicine, and sensors. It also revealed challenges linked to the Internet of Medical Things adoption, including data privacy and security, data management, upgradation, and scalability of the adopted systems. The article demonstrates the relevance of the Internet of Medical Things, including real-time location technology. The technology improves efficiency, quality, and safety in healthcare systems. This article was selected because it explores the potential of the Internet of Things and its associated technologies, including real-time location technology. The article also identifies challenges organizations experience when adopting new technologies to enhance service delivery.

Summary of Recommendation

            The reviewed articles support the need for real-time location technology in healthcare. The findings show that real-time location technology facilitates efficiency in healthcare. The technology also enables timely decision-making. This can be seen in wireless transmission of patient data to healthcare providers for patient-centered care. Health organizations can also use real-time location technology to automate processes such as resource deployment in times of need. The articles also show that real-time location technology helps manage challenges associated with other technologies in health, including telehealth and sensor technologies. The articles identified challenges linked with real-time location technology and the use of the Internet of Things. They include data privacy and confidentiality issues, data security, systems scalability and upgradation, and management of large amounts of data. Despite the challenges, the benefits associated with real-time location technology such as efficiency, safety, and quality of patient care should guide organizational decisions. The technology can improve patient safety and quality of care by facilitating remote patient monitoring. Organizations can also achieve efficient resource management, translating into improved performance. Therefore, healthcare organizations should prioritize real-time location technology to improve outcomes.

References

Budak, A., Kaya, İ., Karaşan, A., & Erdoğan, M. (2020). Real-time location systems selection by using a fuzzy MCDM approach: An application in humanitarian relief logistics. Applied Soft Computing92, 106322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2020.106322

Dwivedi, R., Mehrotra, D., & Chandra, S. (2022). Potential of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) applications in building a smart healthcare system: A systematic review. Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research12(2), 302–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.11.010

Poongodi, M., Sharma, A., Hamdi, M., Maode, M., & Chilamkurti, N. (2021). Smart healthcare in smart cities: Wireless patient monitoring system using IoT. The Journal of Supercomputing77(11), 12230–12255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-021-03765-w