| Hospitals use RFID technology for Patient | | | | Florida biomedical research and engineering firm |
| Tracking | | | | Convergent Engineering. |
| The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is being | | | | To date, the system has been tested only on |
| applied to the healthcare industry. The most | | | | devices that mimic the human body, as well as on |
| common application is by providing patient | | | | cadavers. "The next step for researchers," the |
| wristbands containing RFID tags. The tags are | | | | article goes on to say, "is to gain approval from |
| used as one component of a hospital information | | | | the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to |
| system that can monitor among other things: | | | | begin laboratory trials of the pill on animals and |
| - Patient Identification | | | | humans." |
| - Patient admissions | | | | RFID Applications for First Responders |
| - Patient transfers | | | | The Seattle Fire Department is one of the many |
| - Patient discharges | | | | First Responder organizations testing the viability |
| - Drug Administering | | | | of RFID technology during a mass casualty |
| - Specimen collection | | | | incident (MCI). This type of incident could be |
| - Notification when at-risk patients wander outside | | | | anything from a high rise fire to an incident |
| preset boundaries | | | | involving weapons of mass destruction. All of |
| Every day tens of thousands of hospitals in all | | | | these events involve a triage situation in which a |
| parts of the world struggle with the task of | | | | large number of patients need to be treated and |
| eliminating patient identification errors. Identification | | | | transported to hospitals. |
| breakdowns can result in major problems such as | | | | Many organizations are currently using a system |
| improper surgical procedures, incorrect blood | | | | of triage tags and pen and paper/white boards to |
| transfusion, laboratory analysis, medication | | | | keep track of patients. EMS personnel assign a |
| delivery, nursery mixups and scores of others. | | | | number to the patient, record medical information |
| Medication mistakes, for example, rank among | | | | and runners deliver it to a transport officer. He in |
| the most common medical errors and harm at | | | | turn calls the hospital and relays the information to |
| least 1.5 million people every year resulting in | | | | them. This was found to take on average more |
| approximately 7,000 fatalities. The extra | | | | than 30 seconds per patient, not including the |
| hospital-related costs of treating these injuries | | | | delays involved in transporting the patients. |
| conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year and | | | | Using RFID technology and mobile computers |
| do not do not take into account lost wages and | | | | allow the medical information to be transmitted to |
| productivity, additional health care costs and | | | | the trauma center in real time just as it is |
| increased insurance premiums. In situations where | | | | gathered by EMS personnel. With this new |
| lives are at stake zero defects need to be the | | | | system, a tag is placed on the patient and |
| established standard. | | | | scanned. The vital medical information is entered |
| New RFID Health Care Solutions Developed | | | | on a touch screen. This has reduced triage time |
| According the RFID Journal the University of | | | | to 10 seconds-per-patient with patient data |
| Florida's Department of Electrical and Computer | | | | immediately visible to all necessary personnel, |
| Engineering have developed a RFID tag-adhered | | | | including the staff at the hospital. |
| to a pill capsule-that could transmit sensor data | | | | The development of RFID technology was fueled |
| indicating the pill was in an individual's digestive | | | | by the demand of large retailers like Wal Mart and |
| system. "The problem is especially prominent...in | | | | Target as well as governmental agencies to |
| clinical trials in which a pharmaceutical company | | | | increase the efficiency and visibility of material and |
| may be testing a specific drug, and the results of | | | | information flows in the supply chain. This demand |
| such studies depend on trial participants taking | | | | has created a huge industry in the design and |
| tested medications at the exact time-and at the | | | | development of the RFID chip. Now the Health |
| specific dosage-prescribed." | | | | Care Industry is pushing the RFID envelope to |
| The system, including a microchip, a digestible | | | | provide solutions to some of their most critical |
| antenna and software, was designed by a team | | | | problems with patient care. |
| of researchers from Florida University, as well as | | | | |