Background
Mayo Clinic is one of the world’s largest nonprofit academic health systems, with approximately 76,000 staff, 7,300 physicians and clinical residents, and more than 66,000 nursing staff. In 2022, the organization treated approximately 1.3 million patients from every U.S. state and nearly 130 countries.
The Rochester, Minnesota campus is the origin of the Mayo Clinic network and its largest campus, with 2,059 beds. In 2018, Mayo Clinic began implementing RTLS architecture across clinical areas at its destination sites, creating a scalable foundation for applications including diagnostics, asset localization, workflows and staff safety.
Challenge
Healthcare workers should be able to focus on patient care without fearing for their safety. Yet workplace violence continues to be a serious and growing concern in healthcare environments, especially for nurses, emergency department teams, paramedics and other staff directly involved in patient care.
Mayo Clinic needed a practical way for employees in higher-risk care units to request help discreetly during a threatening situation. The organization also needed to give security teams accurate, real-time location information so responders could identify where help was needed, even if the employee moved after initiating an alert.
Key outcomes:
- 7000 employees supported with staff duress badges.
- 167 emergency calls recorded during the 12-month project.
- False alarm rate reduced from 32% to 11%.
- 84% employees report feeling safe at work.
