Effects of a WLAN-based real time location system on outpatient contentment in a Level I trauma center

• Patient tracking in hospitals can be performed in a safe and effective manner.
• Patient tracking can decrease subjective treatment times.
• Patient's acceptance is good; contentment can be improved with RTLS.

BackgroundPre-existing wireless local area network (WLAN) infrastructures enable the implementation of a real-time location system (RTLS) in the clinical setting. RTLS enable clinics to capture and process patient position data and link it with clinical data. The improvements in workflow and treatment brought about by RTLS may improve patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of a WLAN-based RTLS on outpatient satisfaction in our Level I trauma center.MethodsThis investigation was performed under different study arms (termed “phase”): In phase 0, patient satisfaction was determined (with a questionnaire) without RTLS implementation. In phase I, patient tracking with RTLS was performed, and satisfaction was determined (with a questionnaire); however, medical personnel did not utilize information gathered by RTLS. In phase II, patients were tracked by RTLS and satisfaction was determined (with a questionnaire); however, unlike phase I, the RTLS-acquired data was utilized by medical personnel. Information obtained from the questionnaire included: treatment rendered, subjective estimation of length of visit, subjective estimation of the most time-consuming portions of the clinic visit, subjective estimation of time of medical treatment, overall contentment, and contentment with wait time. In phase I and phase II, position data was automatically collected and analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's t-test and one-way Anova test. Significance level was set at 0.05.Results and discussionIn total, 1234 patients were included in our study (188 in phase 0, 540 in phase I, and 506 in phase II). Completed questionnaires were collected in 53% (654) of the patients. Statistically significant higher patient contentment and lower subjective wait times were noted in phase II patients as compared to phase I patients. However, no statistical differences in the questionnaire findings were noted between phase 0 and I patients.ConclusionsWLAN-based RTLS can help alleviate process inefficiencies associated with traditional clinic workflow methods, which can lead to improved patient satisfaction.