In a hospital environment, every second counts. Yet, a significant portion of healthcare and maintenance staff’s time is often spent searching for beds, wheelchairs, or resuscitation equipment. For those responsible for hospital technology, the challenge is familiar: how to manage a massive fleet of devices and ensure availability without investment costs spiraling out of control?
According to research, nurses spend an average of 72 minutes of their shift searching for equipment, colleagues, and patients (Frost & Sullivan). The solution lies in Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS), integrated as part of the 9Solutions hospital safety and communication system.
One System Unifies Key Functions
Real-time asset tracking does not operate in isolation; it is part of a holistic ecosystem where core hospital functions merge into a single system. When nurse calls, personal safety, access control, task management, and positioning all function within the same interface, work becomes more fluid.
The benefits of a unified system are seen directly in daily operations:
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Less switching between different applications.
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Faster deployment and training.
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A consistent user experience for staff.
Real-Time Location Data Eliminates Wasted Searching
The primary benefit of asset tracking is an up-to-date situational overview. By attaching small, wireless tags to hospital equipment—such as beds, wheelchairs, or expensive shared devices—their location can be viewed in real-time via a mobile app or desktop interface. Automatic alerts notify staff if a device leaves a designated area, supporting rapid response and preventing loss.
The system allows for role-based access management, ensuring each user sees only the information relevant to their work. External partners, such as maintenance teams, can be granted restricted access to equipment data without compromising sensitive information.
Data Supports Decision-Making and Maintenance
The value of location data grows when integrated with an asset register. This allows the usage and lifecycle of equipment to be managed as a whole, rather than through isolated observations. This enables:
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Monitoring equipment utilization rates.
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Predicting maintenance needs.
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Planning investments based on actual demand.
Upon implementing the system, many organizations discover that equipment was often purchased “just in case.” With accurate data on utilization rates, the number of devices can be optimized without decreasing availability. Furthermore, usage can be tracked at the individual unit level; for example, tracking bed washing cycles ensures that all beds are used evenly, preventing a small portion of the fleet from wearing out prematurely due to constant rotation.
Smooth Sense AI enables detailed reports and analyses—no more guessing; decisions are based on the actual situation.
Financial Savings and Better Situational Awareness
Asset tracking directly impacts a hospital’s cost structure. When device locations are known, sharing equipment between departments becomes easier. This allows for the optimization of the total fleet—often, the number of devices can even be reduced when the existing stock is used more efficiently.
Mikkeli Central Hospital is an excellent example. During its renewal (2016–2022), the goal was to streamline operational models, and asset tracking played a central role.
“Without functional asset tracking, the smooth management of beds and aids is absolutely impossible. Staff would have to constantly run back and forth looking for vacant beds, for example. Thanks to tracking, they can go directly to the right place to get them,” explains Teppo Yli-Karro, Technical Manager of the South Savo Social and Health Care Authority (Essote).
Toward a Smoother, Controlled Daily Routine
A modern hospital does not need multiple overlapping systems. In the 9Solutions solution, nurse calls, personal safety, access control, and asset tracking work seamlessly within the same Smooth App.
From a technical perspective, this means fewer integrations to maintain and a clearer overall architecture. For staff, it means a single interface—whether on mobile or desktop—allowing focus to remain on productive work instead of jumping between applications.
