London hospital rolls out wi-fi tracking

Independent hospital The London Clinic is rolling out an asset-tracking system that will allow staff to keep track of and quickly locate valuable equipment.

The system uses an existing wi-fi network in conjunction with wireless chip technology from Finnish company Ekahau. Using triangulation between the wireless chips and wi-fi access points, it can locate items with an accuracy of around three metres.

Mike Roberts, IT director at The London Clinic, said: "It's about finding assets when you need to find them."

Roberts explained workers will be able to view plans of the hospital on computer screens throughout the facility which show where items - from syringe pumps to blood gas monitors - are located.

The tracking system is due to be rolled out over the next few months, following successful trials during December last year.

Roberts also plans to find other ways to use the tracking tech to improve the experience of patients and to make medical staff's jobs easier.

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For instance, the chip technology could be used to locate porter staff when equipment needs to be retrieved, to log when patients go in and out of surgery or to guide out-patients to appointments using intelligent ID badges - where a chip in the badge would show the patient their location in the building.

Another possible application could help while the clinic is opening a number of new sites in the Harley Street area - to track assets and staff as they move between locations.

Roberts said the infrastructure for these innovations is already available and added the hospital aims to be "as progressive as we can" in how it uses the technology.