Internet of Things (IoT) solution for real-time location, tracking and monitoring of medical equipment usage for applications in laboratory and hospital environments

Abstract

In recent years, the use of devices based on the Internet of Things (IoT) in the medical sector has grown significantly, since the use of this intelligent equipment made it possible to optimize and automate routines that were previously manual and also improve processes that increased effectiveness in the fight for the quality of life of patients. However, due to the fact that it is still an embryonic technology in this sector, some problems have been faced, such as: the emission of false alerts, connectivity failures, device battery life and the invasive installation of this equipment in health institutions. Furthermore, there is currently no solution on the market that allows the customer to understand whether the equipment is currently in use or not, as well as the historical usage rate per location, which is essential for the management of these assets. Aiming to solve some of these problems, Nexxto will develop a solution for locating, tracking and monitoring the use of medical equipment, which consists of a tracking device with IoT technology, a set of machine learning algorithms and finally an application software, which allows hospitals to effectively and efficiently manage the location, movement history and availability of their equipment, using non-invasive wireless communication technologies, efficient battery consumption and reduced size, generating productivity gains for such as assistance, maintenance and asset management activities. Initial calls were made with key professionals from hospitals and equipment manufacturers, indicating strong market appeal for a solution like this proposal. With a specialized and experienced team in the development of IoT Solutions, a Nexxto intends to innovate in the national market by offering a solution with totally national technology and an affordable price that will allow it to efficiently manage strategic hospital equipment. The solution to be developed by Nexxto can be adopted for various equipment regardless of size, allowing the collection of data every 40 seconds in a secure way following all the requirements of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD), as well as a set of algorithms machine learning that will determine the rate of use of these equipments and, finally, an application software that is a source of information for decision-making by the clinical engineering professional. At the end of this project, Nexxto will have a new innovative solution, capable of reducing the time originally spent to locate and maintain control of the equipment in an order of magnitude, knowing the position and availability for real-time use of the equipment, promoting a better allocating them according to demand, defining their best use and maintenance, mapping the needs within health institutions, as well as increasing the useful life of these assets. At the end of this technical and scientific feasibility analysis, Nexxto intends to build a minimum viable product (MVP) and validate it in a proof of concept (PoC) to be carried out in a large hospital in the city of São Paulo, which is already NEXXTO customer for other of its solutions, with the objective of proving the generation of value provided by the solution for the needs that the medical-hospital sector demands from the point of view of equipment management. (AU)