29. July 2021
// Products & Services
All beds securely in sight
The new bed management concept from Stiegelmeyer and simplinic brings strong advantages for German hospitals
For hospital organisation, it is important to know how many patients are being cared for and where. German hospitals usually determine this data daily in the so-called midnight statistics. In this process, new admissions and discharges are offset against the number of existing patients in the period of one day from 0:00 to 24:00. The hospitals now receive support for this time-consuming work and many other tasks. The new bed management concept by Stiegelmeyer and simplinic, the leading IoT cloud provider for hospitals in Germany, provides hospitals with real-time information on the occupancy status and location of each bed.
The two companies form a strong team. Stiegelmeyer has more than 120 years of experience in the development of modern hospital beds. The young Berlin-based company simplinic is an international team that specialises in solutions for the "Internet of Things" (IoT). This involves connected objects and devices that can exchange data with virtual systems.
Precisely locate beds anywhere
With our new bed management system, Stiegelmeyer hospital beds equipped with sensors communicate their occupancy status and position via Bluetooth. The data is evaluated by software and can be easily accessed by hospital staff. This live data replaces the research of midnight statistics and simplifies the search for a suitable bed. Especially when occupancy managers are not on duty at night or on weekends, the system facilitates the onward transfer from the emergency room and noticeably relieves staff.
The bed data are also helpful for other processes – for example, for cleaning the patients' rooms. Often this simply takes place according to a fixed schedule, even if the room was previously unused. With the new information on occupancy status, the frequency and intensity of cleaning can be precisely controlled. This ensures reliable hygiene and saves manpower where it is not needed. The hospital can plan and manage more efficiently.
Information about the technical condition of the beds can also be transmitted automatically in future with the new system. In this way, maintenance and repairs can be scheduled in a timely manner.
Successfully in action in Duisburg
The new system is now successfully in use. The first beds are in regular use at the Sana Klinikum in Duisburg, Germany. Current hospital beds from Stiegelmeyer will in future be offered with sensors as a factory fitting. Customers who already use models such as the Evario can retrofit their beds with sensors at any time.
The supposedly slow pace of digitisation in German hospitals is often complained about. But digitisation is not an end in itself – it must offer real added value and be simple and successful to use by the people involved. In the modern Connectivity Lab of the Stiegelmeyer-Group in Herford, the team works on such solutions. In close exchange with our customers, concepts such as the new bed management system are created that immediately improve the work atmosphere, quality of life and efficiency on the wards.
