IoT-Solution for University Medicine Mainz

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.

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.