Olog-PAT: Optimized logistic processes for patients in health care

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Advanced Working Processes in Hospitals

The hospital capacities for checking and treating patients are limited and at the same time highly frequented. People often have to visit several places all over the clinique in one day. If the schedules of patients and surgeries are not well organized, there will be both overcharge and queue times. Up to now this is an aggravating issue, which is hard to handle since delays and sudden emergencies are permanently present in the daily routine of a hospital. Plans have to be overthrown all the time.

Olog-PAT (Optimized Logistic System for Patients in Health Care) is able to release hospital employees in handling this difficult problem and so increases the service qualities of the clinique. In Olog-PAT a wireless sensor network collects real-time positioning and condition data of patients. Therefore Fraunhofer IIS developed “Smart-Objects”, small enough to carry them on the wrist. They are microelectronic modules and can gather, save and communicate all needed information on their environment on basis of the s-net® technology of Fraunhofer IIS for wireless and energy-saving sensor networks.

By this knowledge hospital processes can be analysed. The “Smart-Objects” build up a transmitting system so the information collected can be communicated to the hospital’s central information system.

Furthermore the Smart Objects are able to make own decisions without running the information through the main computer servers. This is an improvement to RFID tags which have to be activated by reading devices, sending out highly energetic signals. s-net® technology transmits in much lower energy levels and so reduces the electromagnetic fields and interferences – very important if used next to medical devices.