Tracking Patient Movements Using an IoT and RFID System—A Case Study in a Romanian Clinic

Abstract

Background: In a world increasingly shaped by technological innovation, the healthcare sector plays an important role in society’s sustainable advancement. This study explores the use of IoT and RFID technologies to improve hospital operations and modernize healthcare services. Methods: We propose a patient tracking system that uses RFID wristbands for real-time monitoring of patient movement. The paper describes the system’s design, components, installation process, and evaluation. Results: The system was implemented and tested by a private healthcare provider in Romania. The results show improvements in operational efficiency, accuracy in tracking, and overall patient care. Conclusions: The use of RFID technology in healthcare offers a practical approach to improving hospital operations. This system proves the potential for more efficient patient management and better overall healthcare delivery.

1. Introduction

Emerging technologies specific to the information society are making their presence felt today more than ever in all spheres of human existence. The increasingly bold and previously unimaginable technological trends and achievements that define the boundary of the Industry 5.0 revolution are continuously overshadowing the traditional model of carrying out activities. Modern technologies and paradigms such as IoT, Blockchain, AR, AI, GenAI, SDGs, Cloud, Fog, and others are becoming the standard in critical domains of modern societies—education, healthcare, transportation and logistics, infrastructure, environment, etc.—practically transforming the nature of work [1,2,3,4].

In this context, this research aims to explore how these technologies can address specific inefficiencies in the healthcare domain, particularly in hospital management and patient care optimization. Our main research question is: How can new technologies be used to help healthcare facilities better use their resources and operate more efficiently? The study additionally investigates the following sub-questions:

• What inefficiencies in workflows can be avoided using technology?
• In what ways may patient tracking solutions assist the scheduling and optimization of critical assets like operating rooms?
• What are the wider ramifications of these optimizations on the quality of patient care?

This article studies the implementation of IoT and associated technologies in hospital settings, which centers on the monitoring of patient movements and how resources are allocated. As an example, the personnel often waste significant time trying to find patients in the hospital, depending on the medical procedures addressed to them. This inefficiency consumes valuable time that could be dedicated to care and has a negative impact on the overall hospital workflow. Furthermore, operating rooms are among the most important resources available to clinics. It is important for them to be utilized to their maximum potential. By tracking patients’ entries and exits, management can determine the duration of the surgical interventions and idle time in operating rooms. Improved utilization of resources, more surgical capacity, better scheduling, and increased operational efficiency are all made possible with these technological advancements. These enhancements result in superior healthcare services for patients and optimal utilization of hospital resources [5,6,7].

Romania’s healthcare system encounters major obstacles, starting from hospitals functioning at or beyond capacity, insufficient funding, and using obsolete equipment to a deficiency of trained personnel [8,9]. These systemic challenges have been exacerbated by worldwide economic crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which have strained financial resources and increased loan interest rates in the medical services sector [10,11] and have caused severe supply chain disruptions across industries [12]. Furthermore, these issues have been made worse by hospital mergers and closures [13], as well as the departure of medical staff because of poor wages and working conditions [14]. Frequent shortages of medical supplies and drugs impede effective patient treatment [15]. An aging population with longer life expectancies, rising unemployment, and worker movement within the EU are some of the issues imposing pressure on the health insurance system [16]. These difficulties emphasize the pressing necessity for innovative solutions that might mitigate resource limitations and enhance processes in healthcare institutions. This study examines how IoT and RFID technology can help reduce inefficiencies by optimizing resource utilization and improving treatment quality. These technologies have the ability to improve the medical services provided and can reduce the burden on medical staff. These challenges are common not only in Romanian hospitals but also in medical institutions worldwide.

The aim of the article is to present a new technique that has the potential to contribute to better efficiency in healthcare facilities. The proposed method enhances efficiency and provides concrete advantages for hospital operations by utilizing supply chain management principles with RFID technology capabilities [17,18,19]. The application of these concepts to healthcare settings has the potential to transform resource management and patient care by integrating the efficiency improvements seen in logistics into hospital operations.

Traditionally, hospitals have depended on manual techniques for patient tracking, resulting in inefficiencies, inaccuracies, and delays in delivering prompt care services. Although other research teams have developed comparable systems, they typically use wristbands that need to be manually scanned with portable equipment. Zelbst and Sower [20] elucidate the utilization of wristbands in conjunction with handheld scanners, wherein patient wristbands and medical documents are scanned, thereby associating the wristband’s barcode with that on the medical records. This facilitates prompt updates of patient information, but it remains dependent on manual scanning, which can be laborious and susceptible to inaccuracies. By overcoming the constraints of handheld scanners, this study presents an important development in the use of RFID technology. The suggested method tracks patient movements automatically using RFID antenna-based devices rather than manual scanning procedures. Technology promises accurate, real-time location monitoring and avoids the need for human interaction. This enhancement increases overall efficiency by simplifying processes and allowing faster reactions.

In contemporary hospitals, monitoring patient movements is critical for delivering high-quality medical services. This seeks to enhance operational efficiency and the safety of hospitalized patients. The implementation of automated software that monitors patient movements inside hospitals enhances operational efficiency, assuring improved patient services and effective utilization of hospital resources.

The study starts with a review of specialized literature that summarizes research on the use of WMS and RFID systems in hospitals for patient movement monitoring. It continues by presenting the functionalities, implementation, and system architecture of the suggested solution, along with its outcomes and future development directions. Finally, it concludes with findings on enhancing hospital operations that highlight the strategic benefits of implementing such an automated system.

2. Literature Review

The literature includes extensive evidence of the merits of automated management systems in warehouses (WMS). WMS software significantly contributes to improving overall control, security, efficiency, and productivity [21,22]. In particular, the use of RFID technology has been shown to improve operational efficiency in the warehouse context [23,24,25].

Considering that there are similarities in the logistics between warehouses and hospitals, it stands to reason that systems similar to WMS software and the use of RFID may well be useful in hospital settings. RFID wristband and antenna technologies offer promising solutions for tracking patient movements within medical clinics, which become even more useful in emergency situations. In general, the use of these innovative technologies may contribute to improving experience and increasing productivity.

In the sphere of technologies encapsulated in IoT, a study conducted by Mogre et al. [26] aims to verify the impact of RFID technologies on improving processes within medical clinics. It checks whether patient care standards can also be maintained. A service platform based on RFID technologies is proposed. To build the study, research based on a sample of 33 hospitals in California was used, identifying user requirements and thus serving as a framework for rethinking hospital processes. The framework identifies the most important actors involved in providing medical services and their relationships in the information flow. Stages where RFID implementation is possible are highlighted. The conclusions of this study present a model of customizable RFID services adapted to the individual conditions of a hospital. The degree of operational efficiency and profitability improvement is noted. Inspired by this study, the present paper examines the implications of implementing a similar system based on a hybrid approach between WMS principles and RFID technology used continuously on many patients.

A study titled “Study of RFID System in Healthcare” [27] highlights the uses of RFID technology in various dimensions of the medical sector. Among these uses, we find the administration of medications, the identification and replenishment of drugs, the monitoring of medical equipment and drug inventories, and the tracking of medical substance consumption. Moreover, RFID technology is employed to monitor medical waste and track patients with mobile scanners and RFID wristbands. Other applications include managing blood banks and providing essential medical alerts for patient safety. RFID enhances drug delivery for the elderly, hence increasing efficiency and safety within the healthcare system.

A 2013 study [28] examines the application of RFID technology in healthcare systems to improve patient safety. A total of 33 papers were selected after thorough analysis based on their relevancy. The study emphasizes that RFID can track a product throughout the entire supply chain and clinical workflow, as well as identify the clinician who used the product for a patient. RFID technology reduces the time involved in locating or tracking, thus making the process less burdensome. Integrating RFID with hospital information systems (HIS) and electronic health records (EHR), supported by clinical decision support systems (CDSS), can facilitate processes and reduce medical, medication, and diagnostic errors.

The paper by Haddara and Staaby [29] points out the prevalent use of RFID technology in supply chain management, inventory tracking, and medical equipment monitoring. Nonetheless, RFID uses extend beyond these facets. The essay emphasizes the utilization of RFID to enhance patient care efficiency through the monitoring of at-risk patients, the reduction in waiting times, and the optimization of patient flow management. Additionally, RFID can track patients in emergency care, quickly locate them, and begin medical assistance as soon as possible.

Abugabah et al. [30] discuss the challenges faced by the healthcare industry due to poor operational management, such as incorrect medication administration; insufficient and inaccurate pharmaceutical inventory control; lack of patient identification; inability to track patient locations; and manage equipment such as beds, wheelchairs, and surgical instruments. The article also emphasizes the difficulty of adapting old hospital buildings with RFID antennas to achieve ubiquitous coverage, noting that upgrading old buildings with this technology is costly and complex, thus limiting applications that require large-scale location tracking.

All these studies highlight the versatility and effectiveness of RFID technologies when used for tracking and managing inventory in goods warehouses. While the existing literature focuses on general uses of RFID, we created a unique solution that ensures accurate real-time tracking of patient movements, significantly improving efficiency and safety within the hospital and automating manual processes.

3. Using an RFID System in a Hospital Setting

The hybrid WMS-RFID cross-functional approach extends warehouse management principles to hospitals, where each hospital room functions as a storage location. Based on experience in developing warehouse management software systems—such as location-based tracking and inventory management—we designed a new approach to patient tracking. While previous research has explored RFID in medical settings, our solution integrates WMS principles entirely to allow uninterrupted tracking and resource optimization, aspects not extensively addressed in earlier studies. This paper presents the system’s functional dimensions, architecture, and initial implementation results, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of applying warehouse management concepts to hospital operations.

Table 1. Comparison of existing systems and the proposed RFID implementation. Sources: [20,27].

Feature	Existing Solutions	Proposed Solution
Scanning method	Manual scanning with portable scanners	Automatic scanning with installed RFID antennas
Technology used	Wristbands with barcodes	RFID wristbands
Scanning process	Portable scanning to associate the wristbands’ barcode with the document’s barcode	Automatic detection of patient movement without manual intervention
Updates	Immediate updates of patient information through barcode scanning	Automatic updates without manual actions
Patient identification	Remote scanning of wristbands in emergency situations	Continuous tracking and real-time automatic updates
Manual scanning	Necessary for association and update	Still possible but not required
Impact on medical staff	Requires manual intervention for scanning	Eliminates the need for manual scanning, reducing staff workload
Response time in emergencies	Allows identification and coordination through manual scans	Faster response through automatic location identification
Implementation complexity	Simple setup, requires staff training	Requires ceiling-mounted antennas, cabling, and integration with IT infrastructure
Scalability	Each new scanning device requires manual setup and staff training	Easily expandable by adding antennas
Patient comfort	Patients must be disturbed for wristband scanning	Patients are tracked automatically without direct interaction
Network reliability	Requires a stable hospital-wide internet connection for mobile scanners to function properly	Uses wired connections between antennas, ensuring more reliable operation
Device maintenance and security	Mobile scanners require periodic charging or battery replacement and can be lost or stolen	Fixed antennas are securely installed, eliminating the risk of theft or battery issues
Approximate costs for 26 rooms	USD 70,200	USD 16,909

provides an analysis of the main features of existing patient tracking systems (such as those described by Zelbst and Sower [20]) as solutions for delivering modern healthcare services, compared to the proposed solution implemented and presented in this study. The comparison highlights key differences in terms of scanning methods, the technology used, and the overall impact on medical staff and response times in emergencies.

In terms of costs for 26 rooms, as this project requires, the automated RFID-based solution calls for 26 antennas, each costing USD 215, in addition to wires priced at USD 84 each, bringing the total to USD 7774. These antennas are compatible with Zebra FX7500 readers, which cost USD 1050 each. They also require a mounting bracket (USD 150), a power cord (USD 15), and a power supply (USD 90). Considering that each reader can support up to four antennas, the estimated minimum cost for readers is USD 9135. However, in practice, hospital infrastructure does not always allow for optimal antenna placement, meaning some readers might only accommodate two antennas instead of four. While this does not change the overall cost proportion, it may lead to variations in the total expense.

For the manual tracking alternative, mobile scanning devices are required. The Zebra MC3330xR, a device that supports RFID reading, has a unit price of USD 2700. Covering all 26 rooms would require a total investment of USD 70,200. These cost estimates highlight a significant difference between the two solutions. However, they are estimates, as actual costs may vary depending on the hospital’s layout and specific installation requirements. Software and server costs are not included in this comparison, as they are shared between both solutions and depend heavily on customization needs. This analysis aims to demonstrate the advantages of the automated system over traditional manual scanning methods.

As part of the proposed solution, RFID antennas were installed in multiple rooms of a major medical clinic in Romania. Thus, each room was transformed into a recognized WMS storage location. Patients are conceptually treated as inventory items, each identified by a unique RFID wristband. The proposed solution applies WMS principles for inventory and asset management that are adapted to improve the efficiency and accuracy of patient tracking, resulting in enhanced medical service quality.

The workflow mirrors well-known warehouse operations, beginning at patient reception. Upon hospital admission, patients’ wristbands are scanned and registered, a process that initiates real-time tracking as they move through various procedures, treatments, or consultations. When detected by an antenna, the wristbands signal the presence in a specific room. Upon discharge, patients are removed from the system by deactivating their wristbands.

By conceptualizing hospital rooms as storage facilities and patients as merchandise, we developed a distinct methodology for monitoring patients and managing resources. The operation of RFID systems and their fundamental concepts are explained in the studies by Tavanti et al. [31], Niksan et al. [32], and He et al. [33]. These provide useful insights into the mechanisms behind RFID technology and have contributed to the construction of the resulting system architecture. These referenced works provide a basis for the principles used, but our implementation demonstrates how they can be efficiently transferred to a new field. This interdisciplinary application is the root of our contribution.

Architecture and Implementation of the Proposed Solution

The initial implementation of this solution was performed within one of the largest private healthcare networks in Romania and involved the installation of 26 antennas to cover the most important areas. The installation was performed by the hospital’s dedicated team to confirm a safe deployment, mainly in sensitive environments such as ORs and ICUs. Subsequent stages involve replicating the system in other hospitals and clinics. The installed antennas are coordinated by readers connected to custom-made software that analyzes received data to pinpoint the location of each wristband. The software securely manages patient data, complies with medical regulations, keeps a history of patient movements, and generates reports.

To ensure patient safety, the frequency and transmission power of the system comply with European Union regulations governing radio emissions. These regulations are designed to prevent interference with other equipment and the human body. This concern was also addressed during testing, where no disruptions were observed. Zebra Technologies, the manufacturer of the RFID equipment used in this implementation, guarantees compliance with these regulations [34].

Figure 1 illustrates the step-by-step process of patient registration and RFID wristband assignment. This workflow details how the system interacts with the hospital’s ERP to query and retrieve patient details.

The patient registration and RFID wristband assignment process is based on eight steps, detailed below:

• A staff member from the unit’s reception office inputs the patient’s unique code into the application;
• The ERP system is queried based on the patient’s code;
• The ERP system responds with minimal relevant patient information, such as the patient’s name, assigned doctor, observation sheet code, and department;
• The patient details are copied to the system’s local database;
• A print request is sent to the connected wristband printer located at the reception desk;
• The printer prints the necessary details onto a wristband that contains an embedded RFID tag;
• The RFID code embedded in the printed wristband is scanned by the printer;
• The scanned RFID code is linked to the patient in the database, completing the registration process.

Thus, the system is now able to track the patient’s movement across the unit. Each RFID antenna is assigned to a specific room within the building. To retrieve information from the antennas, several Zebra Technologies FX9600 readers were installed. The same product has been used in other projects and has demonstrated its usefulness and reliability [35,36,37,38]. The data flow originates from the detection of the wristbands by the antennas. Upon capture, the data are conveyed to the readers via specialized cables, with the readers serving as intermediates. The data are then sent to a specified server via the HTTPS POST protocol. The software processes the data and generates real-time reports delineating each patient’s trajectory. Medical personnel can access these reports via a web interface.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of the patient tracking system architecture, showing a fragment of the setup for seven rooms with two readers.

The back-office services, developed as a Windows Service using C# and .NET 8, receive data from RFID readers, accumulate them for examination, and update the central database, hosted on SQL Server, with data that represent the patient’s movement. It also stores system-related information and facilitates quick responses to complex queries, such as operating room occupancy time. The web UI application offers intuitive access to real-time data, system configurations, and patient transfer reports.

For data sharing, the system interacts with the hospital’s current ERP program. This connectivity is established via two APIs, one on each end. Upon the admission of a new patient, staff input their information into the ERP system. Afterward, the data are fetched automatically using the methods in the API. This link eases information exchange across systems and avoids the requirement for manual data entry. Therefore, errors are reduced, and productivity is improved. This methodology corresponds with the guiding principles defined by Muslmani et al. [39] and Tobón et al. [40]. They underline the critical importance of ongoing data interchange and the minimization of manual input in order to improve system efficacy. As a response, the software also transmits patient movement updates to the ERP system for continuous real-time information.

4. Benefits and Limitations

An example of the report that includes the patient’s movement history is shown in Figure 3. This tool functions within the system, offering comprehensive information regarding individual movements in the monitored area. The report details each movement by documenting the date and time, the patient’s unique identifier, the originating zone, the destination zone, and the duration of stay in the destination room. An entry in the report indicates that a patient was initially in a resting area prior to being transferred to the operating room (OR) for a duration of two hours and 13 min. The patient was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). They stayed there for three hours and 47 min at the time of the recording. These data allow hospital staff to track patient movement. Additionally, they can monitor resource usage and make informed decisions regarding patient care and unit management.

The proposed architecture represents an integrated and complete solution for tracking patient movements. The technology used during the development allows the system to speed up the processes of data collection, analysis, and reporting. All of these lead to high-quality medical services. By installing antennas and readers and integrating them with the custom-made software, a reliable system for real-time movement tracking has been established. It addresses the immediate needs of the hospital and represents a solid foundation for future scaling and improvements, keeping pace with the evolution of healthcare units.

One of the primary limitations of implementing such a system in healthcare is the challenge of retrofitting older hospital buildings. As noted by Abugabah et al. [30], achieving full RFID coverage in such surroundings is both costly and complex. It often requires significant structural modifications. This limitation affects large-scale tracking applications because it presents technical and financial barriers.

Concerning ethical considerations, it is necessary to note that patient mobility tracking is confined to specific areas of the clinics, including surgical, preoperative, and intensive care units. Its purpose is only to streamline manual processes and minimize disruption to patients’ privacy. The regulations in the field require clinics to manage, track, and print in report format the moments when patients were present in these spaces. It should also be noted that the software tracks individuals only at the room level, not within them. Therefore, a balance is maintained between operational efficiency and patient confidentiality. The hospital adheres to ethical standards while using advanced technologies to increase the value of the services provided.

A significant problem in evaluating the system’s entire impact is the absence of thorough baseline data before its installation. In the majority of hospitals, including the one examined, patient monitoring and resource allocation were either not regularly documented or depended on manual, frequently inconsistent procedures. This has complicated the quantification of the decrease in errors or inefficiencies attained via the system. Nonetheless, the system’s capacity to deliver real-time data on patient location and resource consumption represents a substantial enhancement over the formerly unstructured methodology. Future research may investigate a longitudinal study design to evaluate the long-term impacts and gather similar pre- and post-implementation data.

5. Discussion

The healthcare provider has identified benefits when the RFID-based patient tracking system was deployed. After the initial implementation phase, the clinic showed interest in extending the features of the system to include automated notifications for family members when a patient exits the operating room. A systematic comparison with the pre-implementation state cannot be performed since no comprehensive baseline data were collected before the implementation. However, through interviews with the medical staff and discussions with management, including the IT director, insights were gathered. They remarked on the improved patient tracking, resource management, and workflow management. Furthermore, discussions with healthcare professionals from the United States and Kenya on the system’s potential benefits provided further perspectives on the system’s potential advantages. U.S. doctors emphasized the system’s capability to improve the way the staff moves around the hospital and decrease unnecessary movement. Representatives from a maternity clinic in Nairobi, Kenya, were interested in the security features that can help in the safety of newborns. Besides hospitals, the system can also be applied to other institutions like elderly care facilities or specialized treatment centers to improve patient and staff safety through remote monitoring. Further research should be conducted to examine the systematic effect of the system on a consistent basis and in varying healthcare contexts.

An important feature of the RFID-based system that must be discussed is its performance in terms of detection range and response time. These factors impact how efficient the system is in a building setting. While exact location tracking within a room is not required, the system reliably determines whether a patient is present inside a specific room. The manufacturer does not specify an exact detection range, but tests conducted so far have shown that wristbands can be identified at distances of up to 10 m. Given that antennas are mounted in the center of each room, this range is generally sufficient. In cases where a room is too large, multiple antennas can be installed and assigned to the same area to guarantee full coverage. The necessary time to record a movement is dictated by the data analysis period set for collected data. In this case study, a 30 s interval was chosen to allow the collection of a large enough number of readings to ensure data accuracy and reliability.

5.1. Answering Research Questions

Our main research question was How can new technologies be used to help healthcare facilities better use their resources and operate more efficiently? Based on supply chain management concepts, the study shows that RFID-based patient tracking systems can improve hospital operational effectiveness. Critical resources like operating rooms and medical equipment are allocated more efficiently due to this technology, which also decreases manual labor and increases tracking accuracy. On top of that, it gives patients’ families real-time updates, making sure they know when their loved ones finish operations like surgery.

5.2. Sub-Question 1: What Inefficiencies in Workflows Can Be Avoided Using Technology?

Finding patients and resources takes time, and manual documentation errors are among the main inefficiencies that are addressed. Technology promises real-time accuracy and removes delays from human searches by automating procedures like administrative changes and patient tracking. For instance, the hospital’s system improves processes and allows faster interventions by helping personnel locate each patient’s location. Additionally, medical personnel are more efficient and save time by not having to waste it traveling to rooms when patients are not present.

5.3. Sub-Question 2: In What Ways May Patient Tracking Solutions Assist the Scheduling and Optimization of Critical Assets Like Operating Rooms?

Better scheduling is made possible by this system. With the use of this data, hospital employees can better plan operating room usage, reducing downtime and promising the optimal utilization of important assets. The hospital may also dynamically prioritize emergencies with the help of this system.

5.4. Sub-Question 3: What Are the Wider Ramifications of These Optimizations on the Quality of Patient Care?

The quality of patient treatment is impacted by improvements in accuracy. By clearing up the confusion about patient whereabouts, real-time tracking helps family communication. Additionally, automation reduces staff workload, freeing up medical professionals to concentrate more on providing treatment rather than handling paperwork. Also, the system allows quick emergency responses, increasing patient outcomes and safety in general.

When expanding to multiple medical facilities, scalability is very important. Since each medical unit operates with its own staff and patients and has its own infrastructure, a decentralized approach can be adopted; thus, each unit runs its own instance of the software. This approach would mitigate potential scalability issues because each facility operates independently and avoids bottlenecks in system performance. However, given the minimal resource consumption of the system—requiring only a server with one CPU with cores running at 2 GHz and 16 GB of RAM—we do not predict scalability being a challenge at all. The primary point of attention in the expansion will be the integration of new hardware components rather than significant changes to the software infrastructure.

We are considering the development of an incident detection functionality. This involves identifying potential accidents, such as falling downstairs, by detecting prolonged stationary periods of a patient in certain areas. These features can be inspired by existing fall detection systems, which use IoT algorithms and machine learning, as well as energy-efficient wearable sensors [41,42,43]. This proactive system will allow for prompt addressing of situations where patients are at risk of accidents, such as falling downstairs. This can ensure the well-being of patients in the hospital. Another point of interest is tracking essential medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and intravenous stands. In this way, derived from technologies used in various IoT asset tracking, inventory management will be optimized, and critical resources will be available when needed [44,45,46]. Finally, the system can be equipped with a 3D map of the spaces. This will be able to provide a visual representation of the unit. The interactive map, encapsulated in the interactive 3D mapping technologies used in various applications, can provide useful information to staff and visitors and assist navigation and overall efficiency in hospitals. Our goal is to enhance wayfinding, including for visually impaired users, just as other researchers have developed similar systems, such as Wang et al. [47], Lin et al. [48] and Reinders [49].

The launch of this technology signifies an important advance in hospital management. It gives constant monitoring and greater efficiency in delivering medical services. This technology can transform healthcare services, as demonstrated by the concept’s successful confirmation, the favorable reaction from doctors and nurses, and the commitment of a major medical organization to invest in this system.

6. Conclusions

The implementation of the patient movement tracking system, which is founded on WMS concepts and RFID technology, is an important advancement in the modernization of hospital operations. The technology improves accuracy and efficiency by addressing inefficiencies in manual patient tracking. These developments help answer for process inefficiencies, optimize resource scheduling, and enhance the quality of patient care, all of which directly address the study objectives that were identified. The technology is reliable, making it easier for a private healthcare network to adopt. In addition to its operational advantages, the system has altered patient family communication by promising that they are informed, for example, when a loved one leaves the operating room.

Forward-thinking, the system’s adaptability and scalability accelerate the development of future innovations. Patient safety and operational benefits can be further improved by implementing other functionalities such as fall detection, staff tracking, and 3D maps. Even with recent successes, certain challenges persist, such as integration costs. Also, the system’s adaptability to different healthcare environments requires further study. Once these difficulties are overcome, the opportunity for this technology to significantly improve patient care services is important, given that both patients and physicians can benefit.