PROJECT 04 · UNIT A · TWO DEMOS

Electronic Rounding

Two Unit A safety-rounding demos for leadership review: one with a simulated patient beacon and one without a beacon.

The challenge The solution Resources Next steps

The challenge

Reliable observations across a large unit

Staff locate patients throughout the 17-bed Unit A and document safety rounds at regular intervals. Two demos allow staff and leadership to compare how electronic documentation works with and without a simulated proximity cue, while preserving direct clinical observation.

Clinical priority

Technology may support the workflow, but a beacon signal cannot replace seeing and assessing the patient.

The proposed design

Compare two paths for the same Unit A workflow

The beacon demo simulates the intended patient-worn proximity cue. A future physical BLE approach would assign a reusable beacon to one patient per admission and target configurable detection at approximately 6–10 feet; real-world accuracy and safety have not been validated. The no-beacon demo explores electronic rounding without that cue.

Identify

Compare how staff locate and confirm the correct patient in each demo.

Observe

Review selection of one Location and one Behavior/Observation.

Complete

Compare timing, documentation, and exception handling in the two workflows.

My contribution / nursing leadership

Thao Le, BSN, RN, is defining the Unit A use case, observation flow, timing rules, and comparison questions for leadership and staff review.

Explore the two demos

Two ways to explore Unit A rounding

UNIT A · SIMULATED BEACONBeacon demo

Explore the rounding concept with a simulated patient beacon cue. This does not verify physical BLE proximity or clinical performance.

Open beacon demo ↗UNIT A · NO BEACONNo-beacon demo

Explore the existing electronic rounding prototype without a beacon. This site may require access permission.

Open no-beacon demo ↗

Both are Unit A demonstrations for review and feedback. Neither represents an approved or implemented clinical system.

Prototype rules

Early rounds support timely care.

The prototype counts from the last completed round. A round is due at 15 minutes and late from 16 minutes onward. The Verify & Observe button changes from light gray to dark at 10 minutes so staff can begin finding and observing the patient early. A late row clears after Location and Behavior are recorded.

Staff may take more than one early round. The location list, patient name and date of birth, optional photo, and risk or precaution flags support the proposed identity and documentation workflow.

Current stage

Prototype and design exploration. No organizational approval, physical beacon validation, Epic/APeX integration, clinical deployment, measured improvement, or clinical outcome is claimed.

Evaluation

Compare before choosing a path

Review patient identification, Location and Behavior/Observation entry, no-signal exceptions, staff usability, and documentation timing in both demos. Any later BLE pilot would also need physical testing of patient-to-beacon identity mapping, proximity across rooms and shared spaces, overlapping signals, missed detections, reassignment, disinfection, and privacy. Establish baseline measures before reporting any improvement.

Next steps

Invite Unit A leadership and frontline staff to explore both demos and compare usability.
Define safe patient identification and exception procedures for each approach.
If a physical beacon pilot is considered, calibrate proximity in representative spaces and test signal overlap.
Agree on a supervised pilot and baseline measures before implementation.