• A study conducted by Nursing Times revealed that the NHS could save up to £1 billion annually through improved management of medical equipment.
• An audit in an NHS trust revealed that approximately 10% of assets were lost or stolen, and nearly 10,000 patient records had been misplaced, resulting in unnecessary and repetitive capital expenditure and an erosion of trust that could have been avoided with robust asset tracking protocols.
• The NHS reported that over 100 million blood tests are ordered by GPs in England each year, and in some cases, a single test can trigger up to six separate phone calls between patients and the surgery to track progress. One less phone call to reception for just a quarter of those blood tests could free up staff time worth £15.4 million per year. 
• According to The Health Foundation, the cost to address the NHS maintenance backlog, which included repairs to buildings and infrastructure, reached £13.8 billion in 2023/24

Digital-health asset tracking solutions can be as simple and cost-efficient as using lightweight track-and-trace identifiers (e.g. a small NFC or QR-coded tag for blood samples or vaccines) that automatically update the status of asset items as they move through the medical facility. By combining sensor technology, connectivity, and robust device design, healthcare providers can monitor the location and condition of samples, equipment, or time-sensitive assets in real time.

Why digital-health asset tracking matters

As we mentioned earlier, the mismanagement of medical equipment and services can have dire repercussions. Digital health asset tracking solutions enable healthcare systems to monitor the precise location, operational status, and readiness of medical equipment. This includes a spectrum of instruments from rudimentary tools like scalpels and syringes to life-sustaining devices such as ventilators and defibrillators. 

Optimised and organised asset tracking enables healthcare organisations to: 

1. Protect Sensitive Assets
2. Bio-samples, reagents, and vaccines are often temperature-sensitive. A small deviation in storage conditions can compromise efficacy or render samples unusable. Digital-health asset tracking allows real-time monitoring to prevent loss.
3. Ensure immediate access to equipment.
4. Digital-health asset tracking solutions enable staff to quickly locate essential equipment, such as ventilators or blood infusion pumps, thereby reducing delays in treatment and in critical situations.
5. Help Vulnerable Patients
6. Systems that can track patients (e.g., elderly individuals, people with neurological conditions, or those with mental health problems) ensure their safety and security, as well as that of medical staff and healthcare providers. 
7. Maintain Compliance
8. Healthcare and research environments are highly regulated. Continuous tracking with audit trails ensures compliance with standards like ISO 13485, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, and GxP.
9. Improve Operational Efficiency
10. Manual asset tracking is prone to errors and time-consuming. Automated tracking minimises human error, optimises workflows, manages inventory more effectively, and ensures that assets are allocated where they are needed most. 
11. Manage finances and resources.
12. Digital, smart, and connected systems reduce waste and costs (prevent the unnecessary repurchase of misplaced equipment), automate maintenance scheduling based on usage, thereby reducing unexpected repair costs, and improve long-term planning and budgeting for replacements. 

Asset tracking solutions in digital healthcare: Key Components

A comprehensive digital healthcare asset tracking system must encompass hardware, software, connectivity, and analytics to ensure complete visibility, compliance, and reliable performance in both clinical and laboratory environments. These components include:

1. Tracking Hardware & Sensor Integration

The physical layer captures location, environment, and handling conditions, and includes:

• RFID, BLE tags, or RTLS-enabled badges for locating equipment, samples, or carts.
• IoT condition sensors (temperature, humidity, pressure, shock) for cold-chain items, blood products, vaccines, reagents, and bio-samples.
• Multi-sensor modules designed for compact, low-power, cleanroom-safe deployment.
• GPS for assets leaving the hospital campus (ambulances, mobile diagnostic units).

Why it matters: Ensures clinical assets and temperature-sensitive samples remain traceable and within safe conditions at every step.

2. Location & Connectivity Systems

These systems determine asset position and ensure reliable data transfer in complex hospital environments.

• Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS): Uses tags + receivers for room-level accuracy.
• BLE: Ideal for short-range indoor tracking and low-power sensors.
• Mesh networks: Improve reliability across labs with heavy machinery and signal blockages.
• Wi-Fi-based tracking: Utilises existing hospital infrastructure.
• LoRa/LPWAN: Supports long-range connectivity for biobanks or multi-building campuses.

Best practice: Combine multiple communication protocols for redundancy and uninterrupted monitoring.

3. Power, Enclosure & Clinical-Grade Design

Tracking devices must withstand sterile workflows and regulatory expectations.

• Low-power architecture: Enables multi-year battery life or efficient rechargeable solutions.
• Cleanroom-safe housings: Smooth, sealed, chemical-resistant enclosures that withstand disinfectants and comply with ISO cleanroom standards.
• Compact form factors: Fit inside freezers, incubators, centrifuge racks, or transport containers without disrupting their operation.

Why it matters: Reduces maintenance burdens and ensures suitability for sterile healthcare settings.

4. Software Platform & Asset Management Tools

Software unifies all hardware and data into a single operational system.

• Unified asset registry: Stores serial numbers, calibration history, maintenance logs, and full life-cycle data.
• Management dashboard: Visualises real-time location, status, environmental conditions, and alerts.
• Alerts & notifications: For misplaced items, temperature excursions, low battery, or unauthorised movement.
• Maintenance scheduling: Automates servicing based on usage patterns and regulatory requirements.
• Role-based access control ensures governance, privacy, and controlled access for biomedical, laboratory, operations, and procurement teams.

Why it matters: Provides the operational layer that clinical and lab teams use every day.

5. Data Logging, Audit Trails & Security

Regulated environments require data that is both defensible and tamper-proof.

• Continuous data logging: Captures every change in temperature, humidity, shock, or movement.
• Automatic audit trails: Document sample custody, equipment usage, and back-to-base records.
• Cloud or on-prem deployment: Supports real-time visibility and long-term traceability.
• Encryption, Authentication, and Secure APIs: Protect Sensitive Health and Research Data.

Example: A biobank (a facility that collects, stores, and manages biological samples) can demonstrate a chain of custody and sample integrity through the use of timestamped, tamper-proof logs.

6. Analytics, Utilisation Insights & Predictive Intelligence

Advanced analytics elevate asset tracking from “location finding” to strategic decision-making.

• Asset utilisation analysis reveals underutilised or overutilised equipment and eliminates wasteful procurement.
• Predictive maintenance utilises sensor and operational history to forecast failures before they occur.
• Performance & ROI insights: Helps justify equipment investment and optimise replacement cycles.
• Compliance reporting: Generates documentation for regulators (MHRA, HTA, ISO, UKAS).

Why it matters: Turns raw tracking data into better patient care, reduced costs, and operational efficiency.

Asset Tracking Case Study: Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust are an acute organisation that serves over 250,000 local patients, with 419 beds at the Princess Alexandra Hospital site in Harlow, Essex. NHS England collaborated with them to support the implementation of a Real-Time Location System (RTLS), which enhances asset management and patient flow by integrating with their electronic health record (EHR) system. The solution implemented in their initial trial would need to:

• Enable automatic location tracking (by room) and logging of medical assets.
• Provide a holistic view of wait times for equipment or demonstrate more effective use of shared equipment across different areas. 
• Interact with the trust’s new EHR system to create a single, accurate data set accessible by all staff. 
• Support improvements to device maintenance and patient flow monitoring
• Be easy to use and understand by clinicians and estates teams. 

The first stage of the trial was to establish a small proof-of-concept zone (i.e.,wheelchairs and beds) to test the RTLS system and its integration with their EHR records. Issues such as location accuracy and the presentation of location data were reported, which were compounded by inconsistent naming conventions for rooms (e.g., different teams using different names for the same room), causing confusion for users.

As issues were identified, the trust implemented a more refined RTLS solution, which improved accuracy, was fully integrated with the EHR system, and enabled trust-wide use of capacity management functions. Following these steps, the zone was expanded to include tracking of additional priority assets in the theatre department, such as protected drug cabinet keys and IV pumps. The trial was a success, and notable findings included:

• A significant decrease in the average time spent locating missing devices from an hour to 10 minutes.
• Improved inventory management.
• Clinicians and hospital porters reported feeling more confident, less frustrated, and able to plan around having access to assets when needed.
• A 100% retrieval rate on misplaced theatre keys.

Due to the success of this trial, Princess Alexandra has plans to expand the scope by procuring additional tags and tracking a greater range of assets. Lessons learned:

1. It’s advantageous to roll out large-scale changes slowly. This way, issues can be mitigated and a group of ‘early adopters’ can be cultivated to support others in using the new technology.
2. Ensure that all requirements are well defined before engaging with suppliers to provide a solution. 
3. It’s vital that detailed user requirements are gathered from everyone who will be using the system. This should include both an analysis of users’ workflows (to identify areas that can be simplified) and a survey to determine how they would like to interact with the system.
4. Any RTLS or connectivity deployment should be made for and with the staff using the solution.

How Ignitec designs for excellence in digital healthcare products

With our expertise in sensor integration, connectivity engineering, secure data systems, and medical device design, developing tailored solutions for healthcare and lab environments is one of our core service offerings: 

• Rapid prototyping of sensor-enabled tracking devices.
• Integration of multi-protocol connectivity for robust communication.
• Secure, auditable data management systems.
• Medical-grade enclosures designed for use in cleanrooms and hospital settings.

By combining these elements, we enable healthcare providers and research institutions to reduce risk, ensure compliance, and improve operational efficiency. Please schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our experts to learn more. 

Final thoughts

Digital-health asset tracking is no longer a luxury — it’s essential for hospitals, labs, and biobanks managing critical, temperature-sensitive assets. Real-world examples, such as the loss of equipment or patient records, demonstrate that inefficiencies in sample tracking lead to stress, waste staff time, incur significant costs, and risk compromising patient care.

Investing in digital health asset tracking solutions is, therefore, a practical and measurable step towards safer, more efficient, and patient-friendly healthcare operations.