Hospitals searching for “indoor GPS” are trying to answer one critical question: Where is our equipment right now?
The challenge is that traditional GPS does not work indoors. Instead, hospitals rely on indoor positioning systems (IPS) powered by Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) designed specifically for complex clinical environments.
At AiRISTA, we work with healthcare systems that face this challenge daily. Through sofia®, our RTLS platform, hospitals gain real-time, room-level visibility into infusion pumps, beds, wheelchairs, and other mobile assets, reducing search time, lowering rental spend, and improving clinical workflows.
What “Indoor GPS” Really Means in Healthcare
Indoor GPS is not a technical standard and is somewhat of a misnomer. In healthcare, it’s a shorthand term people use when they want:
- Real-time asset location visibility
- Room- or zone-level accuracy
- Faster equipment retrieval
- Reduced equipment loss and rentals
In practice, hospitals are seeking solutions for precise location data for environments inside buildings where GPS is ineffective, such as patient rooms, hallways, procedural areas, storage rooms, and clinical departments.
Why GPS Doesn’t Work Inside Hospitals
Traditional GPS relies on satellite signals that require clear line-of-sight. Hospitals break nearly every assumption GPS depends on.
While GPS is effective for outdoor asset monitoring, gps and indoor positioning technologies must be integrated to provide seamless location tracking as assets move between outdoor and indoor environments.
GPS limitations in hospital environments:
- Dense walls, floors, and ceilings block signals
- Medical equipment creates radio interference
- Accuracy degrades dramatically indoors
- No reliable room-level precision
As a result, GPS cannot support healthcare asset tracking, where knowing whether equipment is in Room 412 vs. the hallway outside makes a real operational difference.
Indoor GPS vs. Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS)
What hospitals actually need is an indoor positioning system, not GPS.
An indoor positioning system (IPS) determines the location of people or assets inside buildings using technologies designed for indoor infrastructure. A positioning system allows users to accurately determine the location of assets or people within a building using smartphones, tracking tags, or other devices, effectively functioning like GPS for location intelligence.
Indoor GPS vs. Indoor Positioning Systems
- GPS
- Satellite-based
- Poor indoor accuracy
- Not designed for hospitals
- Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS)
- Uses RFID, BLE, Wi-Fi, IR, or hybrid approaches
- Designed for indoor environments
- Enables room- and zone-level accuracy
Because hospitals require continuous, accurate indoor visibility, RTLS is the most common and effective implementation of an indoor positioning system in healthcare.
RTLS: The Indoor Positioning System Hospitals Actually Use
A Real-Time Location System (RTLS) is built to deliver continuous, real-time visibility of assets, staff, or patients. A real-time indoor positioning system is essential for hospitals, as it provides continuous, accurate location data to support operational efficiency and patient safety.
This technology detects and tracks the movement of assets, staff, or patients in real time using various sensors and radio frequency methods, enabling accurate and reliable tracking within indoor spaces.
An RTLS typically provides:
- Continuous location updates
- Room-level or zone-level accuracy
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Operational dashboards for clinical and facilities teams
This makes RTLS the practical replacement for “indoor GPS” in healthcare.
How Indoor Asset Tracking Works Using RTLS
RTLS-based indoor positioning systems use facility infrastructure to continuously ingest location data from tags and sensors. A location engine processes these signals and displays real-time asset and personnel locations on digital maps and operational dashboards.
Modern enterprise platforms, such as those developed by AiRISTA, combine RTLS hardware, software, and analytics into a unified environment. For example, AiRISTA’s sofia(TM) platform correlates tag signals, device behavior, and workflow context to deliver room- and zone-level visibility across clinical environments.
Core system components include:
- Core system components include:
- Asset tags attached to equipment
- Sensors, readers, or receivers installed throughout the facility
- A location engine that calculates position
- Software dashboards, workflows, and alerts
- Analytics layers that translate movement data into operational insights
Instead of GPS coordinates, hospitals create smart indoor spaces knowing exactly which room, unit, or department an asset is in at any moment. This level of visibility is far more actionable for clinical operations and asset management.
Benefits of Indoor Positioning Systems for Healthcare Asset Tracking
When RTLS is deployed correctly, hospitals see measurable operational improvements — not just visibility, but financial and workflow impact. A tracking system delivers these benefits by providing real-time indoor location intelligence, enabling staff to monitor assets, equipment, and personnel efficiently.
Organizations using mature RTLS platforms such as AiRISTA’s sofia(TM) commonly report:
- 30–50% reduction in time spent searching for equipment
- 15–30% reduction in equipment rentals
- 10–20% improvement in asset utilization rates
- Faster equipment turnaround and cleaning cycles
- Reduced unnecessary capital purchases
- Improved staff satisfaction and productivity
Key benefits include:
- Faster equipment retrieval
- Reduced rental and replacement costs
- Improved asset utilization
- Less staff time spent searching (often recovering 30–60 minutes per shift)
- Better patient throughput
- Smoother indoor navigation
- Data-backed capital planning decisions
Many hospitals discover they already own enough equipment — they just lack the visibility and utilization data needed to use it efficiently. RTLS analytics platforms help quantify true demand, justify purchasing decisions, and prevent overbuying.
Operational Challenges Without an Indoor Positioning System
Hospitals without RTLS-based indoor tracking often experience persistent operational inefficiencies that impact both staff productivity and patient care. The financial consequences are often larger than expected.
Common challenges include:
- Equipment hoarding by departments, where clinical teams keep devices nearby due to uncertainty about availability — often inflating perceived demand by 20–30%
- “Lost” or idle assets that sit unused in storage rooms, hallways, or the wrong units — with studies frequently showing 15–25% of mobile equipment cannot be located at any given time
- Over-purchasing or unnecessary rentals to compensate for lack of visibility — many hospitals overspend 10–20% annually on rentable equipment they already own
- Delays in care when staff spend time searching for devices instead of treating patients — nurses alone often spend 30–60 minutes per shift searching for equipment
Inaccurate capital planning, driven by assumptions rather than utilization data
Without real-time location data, hospitals rely on manual searches, phone calls, and assumptions to locate equipment. Over time, this leads to:
- Higher rental spend
- Premature capital purchases
- Lower asset utilization
- Increased staff frustration and burnout risk
- Slower patient throughput
Healthcare organizations that later implement RTLS commonly find they can reduce equipment fleets by 10–20% while still meeting clinical demand simply by redistributing and managing what they already have more effectively.
AiRISTA’s RTLS-Based Indoor Positioning System
AiRISTA delivers a healthcare optimized RTLS platform combining hardware and software solutions that function as a do-it-all indoor positioning system for hospitals. The solution leverages unique battery-saving algorithms to optimize device performance and prevent power drain issues common in asset monitoring. Investing in indoor tracking infrastructure allows hospitals to scale and adapt as their needs evolve.
AiRISTA’s RTLS capabilities include:
- RFID-enabled and BLE RTLS technologies
- Room- and zone-level accuracy
- Real-time dashboards and alerts
- Designed specifically for clinical environments
Rather than retrofitting GPS concepts, AiRISTA focuses on indoor positioning needs that actually work inside hospitals.
Best Practices for Deploying Indoor Positioning Systems in Hospitals
Successful RTLS deployments follow a set of proven best practices that help ensure adoption, accuracy, and long-term value:
- Start with high-value, frequently moved assets, such as infusion pumps, beds, or wheelchairs, where visibility gaps create the greatest operational impact
- Align technology choice with clinical workflows, selecting IPS technologies that match how assets and staff actually move through the hospital
- Design infrastructure with clinical and facilities input, ensuring sensors and receivers are placed to support real-world care environments without disrupting operations
- Plan integrations with CMMS, EHR, and operational platforms, so location data flows into existing systems and supports day-to-day decision-making
- Choose platforms built for interoperability. For example, solutions from AiRISTA are designed to integrate with existing hospital IT ecosystems, reducing deployment friction and accelerating time to value.
Integration is a critical ROI driver. When RTLS data feeds directly into maintenance systems, clinical applications, and operational dashboards, hospitals can automate workflows such as equipment status updates, service triggers, and utilization reporting, eliminating manual steps and improving data accuracy.
These systems are most effective when they are deployed as part of broader clinical and operational workflows. When technology supports how care is delivered hospitals see faster adoption, cleaner data, and stronger measurable outcomes.
FAQs
Does indoor GPS work in hospitals?
No. GPS does not work reliably indoors. Hospitals use RTLS-based indoor positioning systems instead to achieve more precise and accurate asset tracking and monitoring.
What is an indoor positioning system?
An indoor positioning system determines the real-time location of assets or people inside buildings using technologies like RFID and BLE.
How accurate are RTLS indoor positioning systems?
Most healthcare RTLS platforms provide room- or zone-level accuracy suitable for clinical workflows.
What assets should hospitals track first?
High-value, frequently moved assets like infusion pumps, beds, and wheelchairs.
Can RTLS integrate with hospital systems?
Yes. RTLS platforms commonly integrate with CMMS, EHR, and operational systems seamlessly.
Conclusion
Indoor positioning systems (IPS) have become essential for organizations looking to make their indoor spaces discoverable, efficient, and secure. By enabling the ability to accurately pinpoint the location of people or assets inside a building, using smartphones, mobile devices, or IoT wearable devices, IPS technology transforms how businesses operate in complex indoor environments.
The benefits of indoor positioning are far-reaching. Organizations experience improved asset tracking, reduced search times, enhanced safety, and better resource utilization. In highly complex environments, such as industrial manufacturing and warehousing, the ability to locate people or assets inside a building with precision can drive significant gains in productivity and risk mitigation.
By leveraging IPS, businesses can unlock new levels of efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction, setting the stage for the next generation of intelligent indoor environments.
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