The Anatomy of Environmental Monitoring Technology in Hospitals

In a hospital, every detail matters — and ensuring those details are minded is what drives successful healthcare. Obviously, this means every little thing needs to be taken care of, from proper cleanliness guidelines and successful wayfinding, to monitoring environmental temperature; not handling any of these countless variables properly can create enormous risk — from both a health and financial perspective.

Hospitals have hundreds of temperature-sensitive areas — consider all of the refrigerators, freezers, operating rooms, etc. — and how these devices and locations all contain sensitive items, such as pharmaceuticals, blood, specimens, blankets, and food, all of which are critical to monitor. Without correct technology, there are countless variables introduced that can muck proper storage up, costing both from a healthcare and financial perspective. 

Moreover, that’s not even mentioning the labor factor. Manual tracking and monitoring of these details is very time-consuming, prone to human error, and expensive. There are much better things that healthcare workers can do with their time that doesn’t require checking the fridge’s temperature multiple times a day. 

The point is, these are obstacles every healthcare facility faces and needs to address. For environmental monitoring technology solutions, enter Cox Prosight.

Pharmaceutical Uses, Including Proper Storage Of Vaccines And Medicine

Let’s paint a picture. You go to the doctor, get your treatment, and they give you a prescription. What do you do with that prescription? Well, you follow the directions to a T — meaning you take the amount you’re prescribed when you are supposed to take it, and you store it in the environment it calls for.

Now think about it from the caregivers’ side. 

Medical office professionals are handling hundreds — maybe thousands — of patients every day. And each one of those people are being prescribed various different medicines or vaccines to treat their ailments. As the supplier of those treatments, hospitals must manage their environmental temperatures properly, ensuring they are stored in the correct manner at the correct temperature. Without pharmacy temperature monitoring, healthcare providers run the risk of vaccines or medicine going bad, a terrible waste of resources and negative impacts financially. 

Blood Banks, Leveraging Temperature Monitoring To Prevent Blood Corruption 

Blood temperature regulation is essential within hospital environments, especially for internal blood blanks. Even the smallest interference with blood bank temperature can cause blood to spoil; if blood becomes spoiled, it can have a tremendous effect on both the quality of patient care and the hospital’s bottom line.

The purpose of blood banks is to store blood after someone donates so it can be used within hospitals in case of transfusion or blood needed. Interference, then, can cause patients to lose out on vital blood transfers. Automated temperature monitoring ensures that blood remains at the proper temperature for storage, assuring patients will receive the blood treatment they need.

Operating Rooms, and the Importance of Proper Temperature Control to Ensure Patient Safety In High-Risk Surgeries

Healthcare providers understand this, and know that each operation requires the utmost attention to detail — and that includes assuring the operating room’s temperature is correct.

By employing Cox Prosight’s operating room environment solution, hospital staff are able to monitor the temperature of temperature-sensitive rooms and trigger alerts if the temperature deviates from the norm, providing healthcare workers with the information they need to solve the situation before there is any sort of increase to risk or danger. 

Cafeterias, Kitchens, and Other Areas Pertaining to Food Safety

When you think about hospitals, the first thing that comes to mind are doctors and nurses. But it’s important to remember that hospitals are ecosystems, almost like little cities that not only provide healthcare, but also provide food, shelter, and more for staff and visitors. That’s why proper food storage monitoring is so important.

With RTLS technology, hospitals are able to monitor the conditions of their cafeterias, kitchens, and other food areas. Moreover, not only does this mean that patients and staff are being provided with good food that’s well maintained, but it can also prevent potential waste due to temperature monitoring failure, unnecessarily throwing money down the toilet.

The Benefits of Environmental Monitoring Technology 

Cox’s Prosight environmental monitoring solution is a great modern display of the benefits of automation. Hospital staff members already have way too many things to worry about as it is, and more things to worry about on top of that.

Reducing time spent on other tasks on their plates — even duties that seem simple, like checking the temperature of a refrigerator or room — allows them to put energy into what matters most: providing the best healthcare possible. 

Discover how Cox Prosight can help streamline your hospital operation today!