Smartphones Can Monitor Medical Center Pneumatic Tube Systems

Pneumatic tube systems have become a primary way of automating the transport of clinical specimens in medical centers. These may travel within the floors of a building and also between buildings. Although this provides convenience and speed of transport, the excessive acceleration forces and the prolonged time and distance travelled have been linked to pre-analytical variation including hemolysis of blood specimens. As a result, it has been suggested that users regularly assess the forces encountered in a pneumatic tube system.