Ekahau Wi-Fi Badge Improves Staff and Patient Safety for Portuguese Hospital Group

RESTON, Virginia, April 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ekahau Inc., a leading provider of Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), today announced that its RTLS solution, including fixed Wi-Fi call-buttons and locatable Wi-Fi communication badges for staff members, is being installed in member hospitals of Espirito Santo Saude (ESSAUDE), one of the largest private healthcare group in Portugal, consisting in total of 15 healthcare units and 2 assisted living senior residences.

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While ESSAUDE is using Ekahau RTLS technology for several purposes, the system's primary functions are to enable mobile patients to call for a nurse, and emergency notification for staff members. System integration of the complete solution is handled by Unisys, while the underlying Wi-Fi network is provided by Cisco Systems. Unisys has used its experience in the Life Science and Healthcare markets, as well its broad expertise on RTLS solutions, to perform the solution installation, configuration and testing.

Unlike many competing solutions, Ekahau RTLS only requires the software and Wi-Fi tags to enable asset and people tracking over any vendor's standard Wi-Fi network, making Ekahau's system the most cost effective RTLS solution available on the market. Ekahau RTLS can achieve the same performance level as competing solutions using approximately half that number of Wi-Fi access points (APs). With their WPA2 encryption, Ekahau RTLS tags are a secure solution that can co-exist on top of the Wi-Fi network like any other standard Wi-Fi voice and data application, without interfering with network operation or critical medical equipment.

In Casas da Cidade, an assisted living senior residence, ESSAUDE is deploying fixed Ekahau call buttons that are attached on walls in rooms and hallways for residents to call help. Some of the residents also carry Ekahau wireless T301BD badges to call help when they are moving throughout the facility. Nurses then receive calls for service on their Ekahau T301BD badges as a display message with the resident's location information.

In Hospital da Luz, an ESSAUDE acute care facility, Ekahau wireless call buttons are placed in fixed locations, including in wards and rooms. When one of these buttons is pressed, the call for help is sent to Ekahau T301BD communication badges carried by staff members. After receiving the alert and reading the emergency location information on his or her badge, the staff member can promptly respond to the request. In addition, nurses and doctors also can call for help themselves by pulling the emergency switch on their own Ekahau badge. In the same facility, critical mobile hospital equipment - such as IV pumps, wheelchairs and vital sign monitors - are being equipped with Ekahau asset tags for asset management purposes. By knowing the exact location of these devices at any given time, the hospital is able to increase efficiency of asset utilization and to improve the maintenance process.

"The ability to quickly locate the right clinical staff, having the capability to send two-way messages between team members and employ real-time asset tracking, are all becoming essential system components for operational efficiency in a busy hospital," said Mr. David Vieira, CTO at ESSAUDE. "We expect Ekahau's wireless RTLS solution to greatly enhance the safety and quality of care, as well as our patient's overall satisfaction throughout the ESSAUDE hospitals."

About Ekahau Inc.

Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS solutions. Ekahau's customers, including several Fortune 500 companies worldwide, are realizing the benefits of Wi-Fi based location services and innovative Wi-Fi network planning and optimization tools. Ekahau's solutions are being used in more than 150 hospitals around the world, as well as by manufacturers, mining/oil/gas companies, government agencies and the military. Ekahau partners include wireless software developers, leading system integrators and international OEM partners, who develop and market wireless enterprise applications. Ekahau is a U.S. based corporation, with offices in Saratoga, Calif.; Reston, Va.; Helsinki, Finland; and Hong Kong, China. For more information about Ekahau, please visit at http://www.ekahau.com.

About Unisys

Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialize in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilization of their data centers, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernize their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 26,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.unisys.com.

(c) Copyright 2010, Ekahau Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE Ekahau Inc.