Healthcare Vertical Promises Big Growth For Beacons Through 2019

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

Tracking and servicing medical equipment in the field is being changed by the use of beacon technology.

Benefits For Field Service Companies

Beacon technology brings the ease of communications seen in the Internet Of Things to medical field communication. It uses Bluetooth low energy to tell when a smart device is within proximity.

Technicians are notified via an app (if Bluetooth is enabled) and data (medical device serial number, device type, performance statistics, manufacturer ID, etc.) can be instantly transmitted. This means the simplification of tasks including:

• repairs
• data retrieval
• asset location
• management

It also means the potential for the use of adaptive media. Stephen L. Grimes, CTO at ABM has a prediction for the technology stating, “There are some significant benefits coming down the line and there will be large scale adoption, both by us and our clients.”

Improved Location Awareness

Maintenance is essential for the proper functioning of high-value medical devices. Unfortunately, locating equipment in larger medical centers drains time and resources. Small, battery-operated beacons are an answer to this problem.

They can be attached to a medical device as needed, similar to GPS tracking, and provide technicians with geo-mapping. They can also be configured to require service and inspections be conducted according to strict protocols.

According to a report from ABI Research, the healthcare industry will make up a large percentage of beacon use by 2019. This growth is not surprising considering the growth of mobile devices in use in healthcare industries, and the growth of BYOD policies.

Stepping Into The World Of Asset Management

While RFID and Wi-Fi currently dominate asset management, beacon technology is beginning to get recognition for its advantages.

Beacon technology is a strong compliment to cloud services, offering low-cost asset tracking. According to Field Service Digital,

“Technicians can utilize beacon information pushed to their mobile devices and then send that data to the Internet for storage or immediate analysis.”

Going Deeper

To read about mobile in the healthcare environment, we recommend “Healthcare Mobility: Rugged Or Commercial Devices?”