At EBME 2025, a key topic of discussion was the need to track and manage medical technologies and patients in healthcare environments. Effective tracking could save the NHS vast sums of money at a time when finances are constrained, improve the management of patient flow and, most importantly, enhance patient safety.
At EBME 2025, Dr. Sabesan Sithamparanathan OBE pointed out, real-time tracking has the potential to revolutionise healthcare. With over 15 years' experience in the IoT space, the multi-award-winning entrepreneur founded PervasID, a Cambridge University spin-out company deploying radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions. The technology is being used in NHS hospitals for the tracking of surgical instruments, to enhance decontamination processes, as well as tracking hospital assets, to ensure mission critical medical devices are available "at the right place and the right time".
"Technology will take us down a different path in the next five to 10 years," he commented. "AI, the Internet of Things (IOT) and quantum computing will bring significant change."
An important challenge facing healthcare is managing the increasing plethora of medical devices and technologies — visibility of these assets is vital for accurate inventory, effective servicing and patient safety. When vital medical devices go missing, staff are also having to use valuable time to search for missing products instead of focusing on patient care. This results in disrupted procedures, employee frustration and increased costs. Asset tracking has the potential to save billions of pounds for hospitals, while waiting times can be reduced and quality of care improved through better asset management.
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