System Tracks Location of Mobile Patients

A new patient tracking system uses infrared-light technology to transmit the ongoing, exact location of mobile patients in real-time via signals from a small badge worn by the patient to ceiling-mounted readers that transfer the data to a central server.

The patient tracking system is expected to be especially useful in medical centers where patient mobility is key to a rapid recovery and where staff resources may be limited. Both staff and patients can now be assured that a patient can be quickly located should immediate care become necessary.

The Eiris Patient Positioning System was developed by Elpas Ltd. (Ra'anana, Israel), which recently formed a partnership with the Electromedical Systems Division of Siemens Medical Systems (Erlangen, Germany) to make the system available to hospitals throughout the world. Siemens is offering the system as part of its Infinity patient monitoring system, which measures commonly used parameters that are scalable for all patient types, acuity levels, and care environments.

"Combining the Siemens Infinity system with Eiris patient positioning brings our comprehensive monitoring together with local positioning for the first time,” said Wolfgang Scholz, director of clinical engineering and research for Siemens Electromedical Systems Division, Patient Care Systems. "It was important for us to choose a patient positioning system that is both flexible and scalable.”



Related Links:
Siemens Medical Systems
Elpas