How BLE sensors improve asset visibility in hospitals
The pace in hospital environments is fast, and keeping track of every piece of equipment is a daily challenge. From infusion pumps and wheelchairs to mobile diagnostic devices, hospitals rely on thousands of movable assets every day.
The pace in hospital environments is fast, and keeping track of every piece of equipment is a daily challenge. From infusion pumps and wheelchairs to mobile diagnostic devices, hospitals rely on thousands of movable assets every day.
Without a reliable tracking system, teams can waste hours searching for equipment. But there's more, departments stockpile resources, and sometimes hospitals end up over-purchasing to compensate for missing items.
Traditional hospital inventory tracking methods, such as spreadsheets, manual logs, or barcode scans, are often slow. Additionally, they are prone to error and offer little real-time insight.
That's where BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) asset tracking comes in. Using smart sensors, WiFi access points (APs), and cloud dashboards, hospitals can gain instant inventory visibility, reduce losses, and improve equipment utilization.
In this article, we examine the importance of asset visibility, the functionality of BLE technology, and the process of implementing asset tracking with real-world examples.
Why asset visibility matters in hospitals
Efficient asset tracking and management is knowing where your equipment is. But it also directly impacts patient safety, hospital budgets, and enables staff to work more effectively.
When asset visibility is poor, hospitals face several recurring challenges:
Lost or misplaced equipment forces staff to spend valuable time searching for devices.
Over-purchasing and low usage occur when departments buy items to replace those that are already sitting idle elsewhere.
Workflow bottlenecks happen when nurses and technicians are pulled away from patient care to search for equipment.
Compliance and auditing risks occur when equipment can't be located for inspections or preventive maintenance.
When hospitals use BLE asset tracking, they gain valuable data from multiple departments. This helps improve healthcare logistics and optimize asset utilization, while also leading to more informed purchasing decisions.
What are BLE sensors, and how do they work?
If you've ever used Bluetooth headphones or a wireless speaker, you're already familiar with Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) operates similarly but is optimized for lower power consumption. It makes it perfect for hospital environments where thousand of assets needs to be tracked.
But how does BLE asset tracking work in practice?
BLE sensors (sometimes also referred to as tags) are attached to movable hospital assets such as infusion pumps, wheelchairs, or portable monitors.
Sensors transmit data via WiFi access points, as well as fixed and mobile (4G) locators, whenever an asset moves.
Via cloud dashboards, you can see the exact location and movement history of each asset. This provides your team with real-time hospital inventory tracking and complete visibility of the inventory.
As opposed to barcodes or RFID scanners, BLE doesn't rely on teams to manually check equipment in and out. Asset locations update automatically, which makes BLE a scalable solution for healthcare logistics.
Key benefits of BLE asset tracking in healthcare settings
Hospitals adopting asset tracking with BLE sensors quickly see improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and patient care.
1. Locate equipment faster
Real-time hospital inventory tracking displays the exact location of every tagged asset. Now, nurses and technicians can find what they need within minutes and reduce wasted search time.
2. Reduce lost and misplaced assets
Missing or misplaced equipment leads to unnecessary spending. BLE asset tracking creates a digital audit trail to recover assets quicker and avoid purchasing replacements. Fewer losses translate into lower capital waste and operational costs.
3. Improve equipment usage
When you know where your assets are and how often they're used, you can prevent items from sitting idle. BLE dashboards highlight both overused and underused assets which helps you to redistribute equipment efficiently. This also means better inventory visibility and less over-purchasing.
4. Streamline maintenance and compliance
Compliance checks and preventive maintenance are easier when you always know the location of your devices. Easily identify equipment that needs service, reduce reduce downtime and avoid regulatory headaches.
5. Enable smarter purchasing decisions
By tracking usage and location trends, you gain the data needed to make informed procurement decisions. Think about how you can reduce stockpiles, cut costs, and invest only where it's needed.
Real-world example: BLE in action at AZ Groeninge
AZ Groeninge, a teaching hospital in Belgium with 1,200 beds and over 4,000 staff members, manages nearly 10,000 portable medical assets. BLE-based asset tracking has changed how the hospital manages its essential equipment.
The challenge
Nurses and staff spent up to 8 minutes finding one piece of equipment. They often searched 23 operating rooms two times a day. At full capacity, this meant that up to 91 clinical staff days a year were spent searching for equipment.
Misplaced wheelchairs alone cost an estimated €35,000 to 65,000 annually.
Repairs and maintenance alerted nurses only after 20 days, leading to 80,000 equipment downtime days per year.
The solution
To address these challenges, AZ Groeninge implemented a BLE-based asset tracking and management solution. The hospital tagged over 7,800 mobile medical devices, amounting to about 81% of its assets, with BLE sensors. These now connect to BLE-enabled WiFi access points across all five buildings.
The results were immediate. Search times decreased 88%, from 8 minutes to 1-2 minutes per device. Cost savings also quickly followed. Wheelchair losses dropped significantly, reducing annual purchases from 10 to just one, bringing savings of around €35,000.
Additionally, maintenance became more efficient. The team reduced previous repair and service cycles from 20 days to 3-4 days. This resulted in a reduction of over 64,000 days of equipment downtime per year.
This transformation shows how a BLE-based asset tracking solution integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure. With a few steps, it delivers measurable results across logistics, maintenance, and budgeting workflows.
Check the complete case study and more here.
Implementing BLE-based asset tracking in your hospital
If your hospital is considering BLE asset tracking, start small and expand step by step. Focus on high-value, mobile assets to begin the project. For instance, choose equipment that causes the most daily headaches. This could be infusion pumps, wheelchairs, patient monitors, or other devices that frequently move between departments.
Tagging a small but critical asset category first allows your team to see actual results before implementing a full hospital rollout.
While there will be variations in different use cases, a successful implementation typically follows these steps:
Identify priority assets: Focus on high-value or frequently used devices.
Plan the placement of WiFI access points or locators: Ensure BLE receivers cover all key areas.
Integrate with dashboards: Real-time hospital inventory tracking and alerts are what deliver instant value.
Train staff and communicate benefits: Staff adoption improves when your teams understand how tracking can help them save time.
Scale step by step: Once early ROI is clear, expand further to cover all mobile assets.
Is BLE the right solution for your hospital?
If your pilot rollout is successful, the next question is if BLE should be your hospital’s long-term asset tracking solution. BLE is particularly effective if your hospital:
Manages hundreds or thousands of mobile (medical) devices.
Struggles with frequent asset loss, low usage, or over-purchasing.
Needs real-time inventory visibility without the complexity and cost of traditional RTLS.
Wants a scalable and low-maintenance solution that works with existing infrastructure.
When these conditions apply, BLE offers a cost-effective solution for enhanced asset tracking and management. Hospitals that utilize BLE effectively will experience shorter search times and lower replacement costs. Consequently, staff can spend more time on patient care instead of looking for equipment.
Conclusion: Take the first step toward smarter asset tracking
Avoid the daily struggle of keeping track of hospital equipment. BLE asset tracking helps you turn the chaos of misplaced devices into real-time inventory visibility and actionable insights. No more wasted staff hours and over-purchasing.
Hospitals like AZ Groeninge have already proven that it works. They saved time, cut costs, and made hospital workflows smoother for everyone involved.
The sooner you start, the faster your team will enjoy the benefits. Think about reduced search times, lower losses, and more efficient asset tracking and management.
Are you ready to see BLE in action?
Click here to get in touch for an asset tracking consultation or request a demo kit today. Discover how Blyott can transform your hospital's asset management.
