More and more hospitals are switching to an Environmental Monitoring Solution (EMS) – a smart, validated way to centrally monitor temperature and environmental conditions in real time.
In most hospitals, temperature monitoring plays a modest role in the background until things go wrong. A refrigerator with medication that gets too hot unnoticed. A sensor that fails, with no alarm. Or an audit that reveals that temperature information is incomplete. At the same time, staff are under increasing pressure. When busy hospital staff must work with outdated systems, it leads to unnecessary frustration precisely at times when a hospital EMS should be a tool and not a liability.
How outdated technology gets in the way of modern care
In practice, many hospitals are still using technology that has not kept up with the demands of our time. Logging in is often done through local systems or RDP connections, which makes access to temperature data limited and cumbersome. Recording and reporting are done via manual exports or loose Excel files that are prone to errors and not always up-to-date. Sometimes the data is even temporarily unavailable due to technical failures or lack of synchronization. In addition, these systems are often so complex that new users cannot get started independently, which leads to delays, frustration and errors. Whereas in something as critical as temperature monitoring, the difference is made by ease of use, reliability and immediate availability of information so that people can do their work properly, without detours.
Much of this technology also integrates with modern hospital environments with difficulty. Some systems cause interference with medical equipment, or run on outdated software that is no longer actively supported. Updates are expensive, slow and often introduce new problems. The responsibility for keeping these systems “running” often falls on technical staff who should not be in charge of them. Often the medical technology department is responsible for temperature monitoring.
In many cases, the equipment used comes from international suppliers and is represented in the Netherlands through distributors or resellers. This means that influence on further development or integration is limited. For hospitals, this can mean in practice that support is less direct, and it is more difficult to implement specific requirements or feedback into the solution.
Rules get stricter, time and staff scarcer
At the same time, requirements for temperature monitoring are becoming increasingly stringent. Directives such as GDP and GMP set firm requirements for traceability, integrity and availability of data. The system must be demonstrably reliable, including validation, full documentation and an audit trail that holds up to inspections.
But regulations are not the only thing facing hospitals. Staffing shortages are forcing organizations to work smarter. Hospital staff want to spend their time caring for patients, not poring over log files and charts. When systems are difficult to access, work only through fixed PCs or require extra steps for reporting, it leads to frustration and wasted time. A modern solution should be intuitive, approachable via cell phone and report automatically so that care staff are supported, not burdened.
Hospitals move to smart solutions
More and more hospitals are taking a different approach. Not by patching up old systems, but by switching to solutions that combine reliability with ease of use and reduced workload. Smart temperature monitoring enables real-time insight, provides automatic notifications and is fully validated to GxP guidelines.
More importantly, the technology is now so advanced that this solution can be deployed simply, safely and flexibly. Think of wireless temperature monitoring that works without interference with medical equipment and without being dependent on the hospital’s secure network. As a result, the IT department does not have to be burdened with additional configuration or management – the solution can run completely in parallel, with guaranteed availability of the collected data.
Even existing wired installations or sensor networks need not be an obstacle. These can easily be transferred to a validated online environment without costly modifications or long lead times. This keeps existing sensors usable, while significantly improving reliability, accessibility and functionality.
Not more calibration, but better thinking
Another aspect often encountered by hospitals is the recurring cost of calibration. With some suppliers, the chosen approach leads to high costs due to short calibration intervals or limited flexibility in execution. But there are also parties who approach this differently: not by calibrating as often as possible, but by looking together at possibilities to reduce the number of calibrations without compromising on quality or applicable guidelines. This both saves costs and limits the downtime of the monitoring system.
So a modern solution for temperature monitoring – also known as an Environmental Monitoring Solution (EMS) – is not just about technology, but about vision: how do you ensure that healthcare personnel who are on the road all day helping patients can access the right data quickly and easily? How do you keep a grip on resources? And how do you make sure technology does what it’s supposed to do without fuss? How do you ensure proper EMS in the hospital?
A solution that adapts to your hospital
Fortunately, there are also parties that approach temperature monitoring as a collaboration, and take it just a step further. Who not only deliver a product, but also take responsibility for operation, validation, updates and support. Dyzle is an example of this. For them, a successful implementation starts with a careful inventory: what is there now, what is really needed and who should we involve in this project? This involves all relevant stakeholders from pharmacists to facility managers, from quality staff to IT so that support is created and nothing is overlooked.
A solution only works really well when you can rely on direct support and expert knowledge. Because everything is developed and maintained in-house from technology to validations, there is no noise or delay. The rollout is controlled, fully validated and with an eye for continuity: from installation to aftercare.
At a time when quality, ease of use and the efficient use of available personnel are key, modern temperature monitoring offers concrete opportunities to support the hospital in a smarter way. And that starts with a solution that adapts to your way of working – not the other way around. Wondering what that looks like? For you, our consultants are ready to help.
