Yabby Edge Powers IoT Syringe Pump Tracking

Discover how Idox used Digital Matter’s Yabby Edge GPS tracker to create an innovative IoT solution that helps UK healthcare providers reliably track syringe pumps, reduce costs, and improve patient care and safety.

Challenge

Idox healthcare provider customers experienced significant disruptions to patient comfort and safety, as well as escalating costs, due to lost and misplaced syringe pumps. 

Solution

Idox designed, developed, and deployed an IoT solution that tracks the locations of syringe pumps across the complex UK healthcare environment, using the Digital Matter Yabby Edge device.

Outcomes

Since deploying hundreds of IoT-enabled asset monitoring solutions with Idox software and Digital Matter devices to deliver on-demand visibility to syringe pump locations across UK public healthcare customers have reported significantly improved outcomes, including:

• improved patient care, safety, and comfort
• better asset utilisation
• reduced costs
• improved maintenance
• greater staff trust in critical infrastructure availability. 
  
  

Small device, big impact: how the Digital Matter Yabby Edge tracker helped Idox revolutionise syringe pump tracking across a complex healthcare system.

For over 30 years, Idox solutions have helped UK healthcare run smoothly, tracking over 500,000 assets daily across more than 35 trusts and hospitals. The company's commitment to listening to customer challenges led to the development of an innovative real-time location tracking solution for a common patient care challenge: improving availability of syringe pumps.

In the UK, the “BodyGuard™ T”, manufactured by Becton, Dickinson and Co, is the only syringe pump recommended for use for continuous subcutaneous infusion of medicines for end-of-life care. The BodyGuard™ T plays a vital role in patient health and comfort by delivering precise, controlled infusions of fluids or medications. Controlled doses reduce the risk of human error and support safe, individualised care plans. Compact and light, the BodyGuard™ T is portable for use in clinical, home, and ambulatory settings. Each pump is secured in a customised lockbox to prevent tampering and accidental dose adjustments, comply with regulatory standards, and reduce the risk of theft of controlled substances. To ensure dose accuracy, each pump requires an annual maintenance check.

Chris Williams, Senior Sales and Client Lead at Idox, says, "In palliative care settings, patients rely on BodyGuard™ T syringe pumps for crucial medication or fluids, so clinical teams need immediate, dependable access. Most healthcare providers buy hundreds of pumps, but many are lost or misplaced each year, often sent home with patients or moved between care settings, and never returned. To safeguard availability, staff sometimes store pumps in drawers or cupboards, only to forget their location. Some customers report losing up to 30 percent o f pumps annually, which significantly impacts quality care, maintenance compliance requirements, and annual budgets.”

Challenges with traditional asset tracking solutions for syringe pumps.

Nurses manually searching for BodyGuard™ T pumps is slow, and inefficient. Research reveals nurses can spend up to an hour every shift, totalling 40 hours a month, searching for equipment. Slow access to such vital patient care equipment can critically delay treatment, compromising patient dignity, safety, comfort, and care outcomes while increasing the risk of dosing errors. With each pump priced around £1,600, replacement costs also add significant financial burden to healthcare providers.

First-generation asset tracking solutions to monitor pump locations, like RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) battery-powered tags, introduced specific operational challenges when attached to the BodyGuard™ T. Tags were commonly damaged or detached during transit. If a pump left the RFID or BLE network, tracking was impossible until it returned, if it returned. Short-range RFID and BLE signals require multiple receivers to track pumps across a facility, while blind spots appear when batteries run out of power. Finally, unreliable tracking failed to change staff behaviour, with pumps still hidden to guarantee availability.

How the compact, powerful Yabby Edge device powers an innovative IoT solution for Bodyguard T syringe pump tracking.

Idox designed and developed a unique solution to cost-effectively help UK healthcare providers reliably track BodyGuard™ T syringe pumps across the complex care landscape. Central to the bespoke solution is a redesigned BodyGuard™ T lockbox.

Dave Bryan, Technical Lead at Idox, says, "While redesigning the BodyGuard™ T lockbox, our engineers addressed real customer pain points. For example, including reinforced hinges and stronger locking mechanisms to stand up to daily use in fast-paced environments, purpose-built compartments for labels that don't interfere with device instructions, and seamlessly embedding the Yabby Edge GPS tracking device inside the lockbox to deliver reliable location data without compromising the BodyGuard™ T's function."

Designed, developed, and manufactured by Digital Matter, the Yabby Edge GPS tracker is the size of a deck of cards and weighs just 80 grams, making it practical for installation inside the Bodyguard T pump box. Powered by three user-replaceable AAA batteries with a lifespan of up to ten years, the device tracks assets when in motion, enters sleep mode when stationary to conserve power, and issues proactive "Battery Low" and "Battery Critical" alerts. Tamper-proof, ultra-rugged, and waterproof, its IP68 and IK06-rated housing means the Yabby Edge can withstand impact, fine dust, and brief submersion. LTE-M and NB-IoT connectivity ensures the device delivers cost-effective, scalable, and reliable tracking over long distances and hard-to-reach areas, such as basements.

Attached and activated within minutes, the Yabby Edge is configurable to track asset locations to within one-metre accuracy. Users can remotely manage, monitor, configure, debug, update, and restart Yabby Edge devices through a cloud-based device management system and set geofences with alerts triggered when an asset enters or exits designated zones.

In the Idox BodyGuard™ T tracking solution, the Yabby Edge sends device location information every six hours to a central database, populating an on-demand user interface where medical teams can search for a syringe pump by name or visually track pumps using Google Maps. Geofencing alerts notify staff when a pump leaves a location and when it returns, while additional alerts flag low battery power. A simple colour-coded display provides instant visibility to battery status: green for full power, amber for declining power, and red for critical replacement. Integrating the device data with existing customer asset registers ensures seamless pump maintenance and timely replacement.

Idox and Digital Matter help UK public healthcare providers improve patient care and reduce costs.

Over the last year, Idox has deployed the BodyGuard™ T syringe pump asset-tracking solution to multiple UK public healthcare providers. Within months, the solution delivered tangible operational outcomes, including saving precious minutes for medical teams sourcing pumps, which translated directly into more time for patient care, cost savings, and better patient outcomes.

In addition, healthcare providers reported reduced replacement costs, faster returns, improved care key performance indicators, and, as trust in the solution grows, fewer staff safeguarding pumps. To date, among clients that have the solution deployed, not single syringe pump has been lost. Another shared significant re-procurement savings, while a third noted that better control and visibility of device locations helped ensure rapid pump location and servicing according to Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) standards. 

Bryan says, "We chose the Digital Matter Yabby Edge GPS tracker for its powerful functionality, packed into a compact, cost-effective device. With smart power management, plug-and-play setup, long battery life, tamper detection, and configurable tracking, it delivers reliable IoT connectivity without driving up costs. Additionally, the Digital Matter team were great collaborators, supporting us through an iterative consultative process with multiple stakeholders. While this Idox solution delivers clear operational and financial customer benefits, we're especially proud that it helps ensure patients receive timely care, comfort, and dignity in their hour of need.”

Positive customer outcomes with the syringe pump tracking solution have inspired Idox to explore how the Yabby Edge GPS tracker can address other common healthcare challenges around lost or misplaced critical patient infrastructure, including tracking automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and wheelchairs.