Because hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are often linked to insufficient application of hygienic practices and hospital protocols, a tracking system can often improve outcomes, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.
While educational programs have been shown to improve hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers, other strategies, such as audit and feedback, must be implemented to affect change, the article said.
RTLS technology can facilitate audits of this kind. By badging workers patients, visitors, and equipment, the activity of a single hospital room can be tracked. An RTLS can track whether or not someone washed their hands upon entering a room, and before and after when they interacted with a patient.
Hospitals can use the data to audit hand hygiene processes and reduce the spread of infection.