Improving the health of hospital systems: How AI and Foresense can make things better…

HOSPITALS ARE VERY, very busy places.

And major hospitals in metropolitan areas are very, very large in size.

Few of us stop to appreciate just how big of a logistical operation each and every hospital presents.

Most of us only think in terms of patient numbers and a capacity for beds.

When you add in the numbers of doctors, surgeons, specialists, nurses, and orderlies – not to mention administration, security, kitchen and cleaning staff – the actual floor numbers at any given time really start to multiply.

Don’t forget patient friends and family, food, equipment and supplies deliveries, tradespeople and other transient visitors that also swell the numbers on site!

The modern hospital does its best to apply logging and tracking technology they have at hand to keep track of people as they come and go.

Visitor sign-in books and tablets.Staff ID cards log them in and out as they start and finish shifts, and restrict access to certain areas.

Security cameras monitor for any signs of trouble and keep record of comings and goings.

These all work to serve a purpose – to a certain extent.

That is they keep a record for future reference if needed – they don’t really monitor in real time, in real terms.

Staff ID cards only record a single time at a single place – they do not keep track of exactly where a staff member is, or has been, throughout their day in real time in a facility as large as a hospital.

Visitor sign-ins keep a basic log but cannot keep track of people once they have entered an area, and are easy to bypass altogether if someone does not want their visit recorded.

Monitored security cameras can keep watch for antisocial behaviour in waiting room, foyer and entry areas but often miss suspicious activity as it happens in real time.

2020 has presented the global community with a new challenge in safety and security – the challenge of COVID 19.

The pandemic has brought about an extreme importance in the ability to log and monitor movement for health officials and contact tracers – especially in densely populated, high traffic areas such as hospitals.

Now, there is a new platform that can drastically increase impact and efficiency in each and every one of these areas.

That platform is Foresense Technologies.

Foresense is having major impacts in government, commerce, agriculture and industry, presenting a revolutionary new way to guide commercially based decisions with more detailed, quantifiable data to improve operational KPIs and efficiencies.

Foresense facilitates the collection of visitor presence data and the analysis of how people act – and interact – onsite in real world settings to provide real-time analytics of foot traffic inside and around any physical location.

In a similar way to how behavioural data is utilised online through careful analysis of aspects such as dwell time, session duration, and unique and return visitations the Foresense platform collects data through sensors integrating with visitors’ smartphones allowing accessibility in real time so highly-informed, proactive decisions can be executed as trends are actually emerging.

The Foresense platform offers an AI powered solution to gain an unprecedented level of insight into traffic flow and density and how staff and visitors move across, act and interact within hospital boundaries.

Staff movements and exact locations at any point in time can easily be accessed, and real time messaging can also be implemented to raise alert or alarm.

As a complete journey mapping solution, individual visitor data such as arrival and departure time, total time spent on site, and the breakdown of time spent at different areas within the hospital is collected.

The technology can also complement existing security surveillance systems. The AI platform detects loitering, erratic behaviour and unauthorised entry and can deploy security staff in real time as issues develop.For example, if a visitor gains access to an area where they should not be such as staff only areas or pharmaceutical repositories, an immediate security alert can be raised.

As we learn to live with COVID, Foresense can also complement existing digital tools to monitor and log visitors, staff and patients as they move across the hospital to assist contact tracers and keep everyone safer. In this way it can also be be used to monitor and control the number of people gathering in any given area to address crowd density regulations.

It can also identify those who have not recently received a negative COVID test where such laws have been introduced and those who bypass QR code scan points, sending digital reminders to scan in, taking responsibility out of the hands of reception staff.

The technology can even be used for personal safety concerns; where a person is not moving as normal from building exit points to the carpark exit for example, or has been in the restroom an excessive amount of time, indicating illness, collapse or unconsciousness.

The system also accommodates wearable tracking technology such as bracelets or smart ID cards.

Keep a closer monitor on patients that present unique challenges such as physically incapacitated and dementia patients, or patients that present a heightened risk through a history of drugs or violence.

Smart ID cards for staff and frequent visitors removes the necessity to have their mobile phone on their person at all times to fully log their whereabouts and movements.

Foresense Technologies offers a powerful array of AI guided analytical tools to improve operational efficiencies for hospital boards and government officials.

With qualitative data readily available, day-to-day operations can be scrutinised with greater clarity and key decisions can be made to improve working conditions for staff, comfort levels for patients and a more streamlined, safer experience for all visitors alike.

New technologies and AI have afforded far greater prospects for patient outcomes, especially in surgery and diagnostics.

The next step is making the actual buildings smarter to improve efficiencies in realworld, on-the-ground logistical operations and rudimentary day-to-day efficiencies.

That next step is Foresense.