Occupation versus Utilisation of Clinical Spaces Using Internet of Things Devices: Are Consult Rooms Well Utilised?

The cost of building, renovating, and maintaining the physical healthcare environment is up to 6% of the total cost of providing healthcare. Despite being the fastest growing category of healthcare expenditure, few tools exist to understand the use of spatial clinical resources. Previous research in live healthcare environments demonstrated that Internet of Things (IoT) devices are effective in understanding patterns of occupancy in clinical spaces. Healthcare managers answering the question "are consult rooms well utilized?"require data beyond 'occupied' or 'vacant'. Using the novel approach to clinical space management presented in this paper, understanding 'how' consult rooms are used is now possible. Proof-of-concept results are presented demonstrating the target consult room was predominantly either 'well utilized' (55%), 'vacant' (29%), or 'intermittently used' (14%) for the target period. Implications of undertaking technology research in live healthcare settings are discussed for academia and professional practice across multiple sectors.

N/A

ACM International Conference Proceeding Series

N/A

9798400700712

N/A

N/A

6