Reference University Medical Center Mainz

IoT-Solution for University Medicine Mainz

More about the project

Cutting red tape thanks to Internet of Things

Providing medical care to patients, listening to their needs and meeting the extensive documentation requirements - the work of nursing staff in hospitals is challenging, especially in times of staff shortages. The University Medical Center Mainz has recognized the potential and, together with Telekom Deutschland and Telekom MMS, taken a further step towards a digitized clinic. Intelligent IoT solutions can significantly reduce the time spent on communication and documentation.

 

Reference Summary

Task

Reducing the effort for communication, documentation and accounting through digitization.

Solution

IoT application with service button and app for the digital lending of medical equipment.

achievement

Result

Reduced workload and relief of nursing staff through digital ordering and cancellation of medical devices.

Icon / Quote
The Healthcare Service Button makes it easy for clinics to get started with digitization. It was a good opportunity for us to win over staff for digitization, as the button offers added value that can be experienced directly. PD Dr. Med. Christian Elsner, Chief Commercial Officer of the University Medical Center Mainz

Customer Benefits

  • Up to 30 minutes time saving in the documentation of each equipment rental

  • Error-free digital documentation and accounting

  • Cost savings through improved workflows, ROI after six months

Requirements

Digital Processes Instead of Overtime

The overwork of the nursing staff is one of the major problems within the German health care system. Despite overtime, there is not as much time for patients as clinic management and employees would desire. Especially the lengthy and errorsensitive documentation and accounting processes in hospitals make up a considerable part of the nursing staff's working time. That's why relieving them of this workload was at the top of the to-do list at the Healthcare Hackathon, which is organized by the University Medical Center Mainz. Together with Deutsche Telekom, the idea of providing an wireless IoT service button, which can be easily implemented, and a corresponding app was born.

Solution

Button with own connectivity and app for easy handling

The Healthcare Service Button was created on the basis of the IoT Service Button. It has an autonomous, battery-operated power supply and is therefore independent of the power grid and WLAN. It has its own mobile connectivity via NarrowBand IoT, the network standard for the Internet of Things. This means that the button has very good reception quality in buildings. Thanks to these features, it can be easily attached anywhere without complex installation, including directly to medical devices. For its first-time use, only a short configuration in the Cloud of Things, the platform of the Telekom Cloud of Things, is required.

The Healthcare Service Button works as follows: For example, if a patient needs a vacuum pump to promote wound healing, the nursing staff used to order it from the hospital's warehouse or from an external service provider. To do this, the nurse had to make calls, send e-mails or faxes and spend a corresponding amount of time on them. The next step was to document the use of the device. Once the treatment was completed, the process for taking back the device began all over again. Since the introduction of the IoT solution, this can be done by the push of a button: an order e-mail is automatically sent to the equipment warehouse and the usage is digitally documented. Even after the end of the treatment, a further click is enough to return the device. This saves the nursing staff around 20 to 30 minutes per loan, which is done several times a day in the clinic. Possible input errors due to manual documentation are also eliminated.

The app developed by Telekom MMS acts as a "mouthpiece" in the cloud for the IoT solution. Employees use it to scan the barcodes of the vacuum pump and the IoT button in order to link them. The automated sending of e-mails and documentation begins after the button is pressed and the app is started. The app is compatible for Android smartphones and iOS.

Benefits

Relieved Employees and Cost Savings

Using the IoT solution, Universitätsmedizin Mainz is becoming a pioneer of digital processes in hospitals. The simplified, digitized documentation process not only saves time, but also money. Thanks to the service button and app, the lending and return of medical equipment is more efficient and less error-prone. The cost of implementation of the IoT application in the clinic has already paid for itself after six months.

In addition to relieving the clinic of time-consuming documentation tasks, the simple, easy-to-understand operation of the button and app ensures high acceptance among employees. There are also already considerations to use the cloud-based solution for other application areas. For example, the use of the button and app could also make the processing of cleaning orders for patient rooms and operating rooms more efficient.

About the University Medical Center Mainz

The University Medical Center Mainz stands for a close integration of top-level medicine, research and teaching. It is the only university medicine in Rhineland-Palatinate that is already making tomorrow's medicine today - because it ensures that the latest findings of medical research reach patients quickly. Numerous specialists in around 60 clinics, institutes and departments work together on an interdisciplinary basis and provide inpatient and outpatient care for more than 340,000 people every year. It trains 3,400 students of medicine and dentistry and 620 young people in a wide range of health care professions, commercial and technical occupations. The approximately 8,000 employees all work towards one goal: "Our knowledge for your health"..

Do you have any questions?

Dr. Cornelia Mossal

Corporate Communication