Enhancing Hospital Efficiency and Patient Care: Real-Time Tracking and Data-Driven Dispatch in Patient Transport

Su-Wen Huang; Shyue-Yow Chiou; Rung-Ching Chen; Chayanon Sub-r-pa

doi:10.3390/s24124020

journal article Open Access Jun 20, 2024

Enhancing Hospital Efficiency and Patient Care: Real-Time Tracking and Data-Driven Dispatch in Patient Transport

Su-Wen Huang

Shyue-Yow Chiou Rung-Ching Chen Chayanon Sub-r-pa

Sensors Vol. 24 No. 12 pp. 4020 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/s24124020

Abstract

Inefficient patient transport in hospitals often leads to delays, overworked staff, and suboptimal resource utilization, ultimately impacting patient care. Existing dispatch management algorithms are often evaluated in simulation environments, raising concerns about their real-world applicability. This study presents a real-world experiment that bridges the gap between theoretical dispatch algorithms and real-world implementation. It applies process capability analysis at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan, and utilizes IoT for real-time tracking of staff and medical devices to address challenges associated with manual dispatch processes. Experimental data collected from the hospital underwent statistical evaluation between January 2021 and December 2021. The results of our experiment, which compared the use of traditional dispatch methods with the Beacon dispatch method, found that traditional dispatch had an overtime delay of 41.0%; in comparison, the Beacon dispatch method had an overtime delay of 26.5%. These findings demonstrate the transformative potential of this solution for not only hospital operations but also for improving service quality across the healthcare industry in the context of smart hospitals.

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Citations

26

References

Details

Published: Jun 20, 2024
Vol/Issue: 24(12)
Pages: 4020
License: View

Authors

S

Su-Wen Huang

Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan; Department of Information Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan

S

Shyue-Yow Chiou

Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan

R

Rung-Ching Chen

Department of Information Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan

C

Chayanon Sub-r-pa

Department of Information Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan

Funding

National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan Award: TCVGH-1100301B

Taichung Veterans General Hospital Project for Research Award: TCVGH-1100301B

Cite This Article

Su-Wen Huang, Shyue-Yow Chiou, Rung-Ching Chen, et al. (2024). Enhancing Hospital Efficiency and Patient Care: Real-Time Tracking and Data-Driven Dispatch in Patient Transport. Sensors, 24(12), 4020. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24124020

Enhancing Hospital Efficiency and Patient Care: Real-Time Tracking and Data-Driven Dispatch in Patient Transport

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