The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, has played a pivotal role in advancing medical science research and patient care, serving the needs of people across India. It’s a premier medical institution that was established in 1956 by an Act of Parliament, which is known for higher education in medical sciences, ground-breaking medical research, and public health care.
Over the last few years, many new blocks/hostels/buildings/Waiting lounges have been or are being constructed at AIIMS, New Delhi, which is unprecedented in the history of AIIMS. But the bigger the hospital premises, the bigger the headache to easily locate certain wings, labs, counters, waiting areas, etc.
Many departments, such as Anaesthesiology, Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopaedics, and Psychiatry, are located across different wings and floors of the hospital complex, which spans an area of over 200 acres. To that end, it has always been felt to create a technology-based solution that allows visiting patients, students, and practitioners to easily navigate the vast campus using AIIMS Disha App on smartphones or tablets. And BLE Beacons, an IoT solution that is perfect for Indoor navigation, have now come to the rescue. These beacons, when deployed across buildings, send unique identifiers that can be picked up by smartphones via a mobile app. Using these identifiers, an indoor positioning system (IPS) guides users with turn-by-turn navigation, much like GPS works outdoors.
Let’s learn what BLE beacons are and how a grand healthcare institution like AIIMS Delhi is benefiting from BLE beacon-based indoor positioning.
BLE Beacons Are Installed at Strategic Locations
The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon technology is a new age technology developed on the Bluetooth 4.0 standard in 2010 and has gone through tremendous improvements in features, data transfer, and communication (now the BLE 5.3 standard), offering greater range, reliability, and energy efficiency.
A BLE Beacon is a small transmitter, broadcasting advertising data periodically, which is picked up by nearby smartphone devices. For indoor navigation, these beacons transmit a continuous, unidirectional signal with a unique identifier and signal strength (RSSI) information.
When you enter the range with your smartphone or BLE-enabled device (with a BLE app by the hospital), the smartphone detects this signal. The system uses the device's distance from three or more beacons (calculated from RSSI) to determine its position on a map, much like a GPS. It’s called triangulation. The technology essentially leverages BLE beacons, BLE gateways, BLE-enabled smartphones, and a BLE mobile app (AIIMS Disha App) for this purpose.
Key Features of BLE Beacon Technology
1.Low power consumption- Ideal for continuous indoor use.
2. High accuracy- Indoor navigation precision within 1–3 meters.
3. Scalable deployment- Suitable for large campuses like AIIMS.
4. Integration with smartphones- No additional hardware required for users.
BLE Indoor Navigation at AIIMS Delhi
At AIIMS, BLE beacons have been strategically installed across waiting areas, OPD counters, wards, hostels, and specialized departments. Visitors can now use a dedicated mobile app to receive step-by-step navigation assistance.
1.A patient arriving for a cardiology consultation can open the app, enter their appointment details, and be guided directly to the correct OPD room.
2. Students and staff can quickly find labs or lecture halls in the newly constructed blocks.
3. Visitors in waiting lounges can receive location-based updates, such as queue status or announcements.
How BLE Beacons Improve Patient Experience
The use of BLE beacons at the AIIMS campus allows patients, doctors, and staff to easily move around, while navigating different departments, wards, labs, blood bank, etc. on their own, using their smartphone. It’s a good step taken to ease patient visits, allowing them access to the healthcare facilities AIIMS Delhi has to offer.
1.Reduced Patient Stress
Hospitals are often overwhelming. BLE-based navigation with AIIMS Disha App ensures patients do not waste time or energy looking for the right department.
2. Faster Hospital Workflow
Staff members spend less time redirecting visitors, improving operational efficiency.
3. Accessibility for All
Elderly patients and those unfamiliar with the hospital layout benefit from easy-to-follow directions.
4. Emergency Support
In critical situations, BLE beacons can guide patients or emergency responders to the nearest help desk or emergency ward.
BLE in Healthcare Beyond Navigation
While AIIMS Delhi has implemented BLE primarily for indoor navigation using AIIMS Disha App, the technology has broader applications in healthcare, such as:
1.Asset tracking: Monitoring medical equipment across departments.
2. Patient assistance: Providing contextual information and real-time help through apps.
3. Contact tracing: Tracking patient movement for infection control.
4. Smart alerts: Notifying patients about wait times, room availability, or prescription collection points.
The deployment of IoT devices such as BLE beacons is a great step forward towards a robust IT infrastructure that not only benefits patients but also students and doctors at the campus.
To summarize, over the past decade, AIIMS New Delhi has expanded rapidly, with multiple new blocks, hostels, waiting lounges, and medical facilities being added. While this expansion has elevated its healthcare infrastructure, it has also created a new challenge where patients and staff struggle to navigate through 200 a large campus. The adoption of a BLE beacon-based indoor navigation system at AIIMS Delhi marks a significant step towards smart healthcare infrastructure in India, and by adopting IoT-enabled solutions, like the BLE beacons, AIIMS not only enhances patient convenience but also sets a benchmark for other hospitals looking to modernize their facilities.
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