Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that encompasses the use of an electronic reader to capture digital data that is embedded in not only RFID tags but also labels using radio waves. The technology is almost similar to barcode reading or QR scanning since a tag’s data is captured by an electronic device that stores the coded information in a database. Different from other systems that utilize barcode asset tracking properties, reading RFID data contained in tags and labels does not necessarily require a line of sight between the tag and the reader, as in the case of barcodes, where the optical scanner has to be in alignment with the barcodes to be read. RFID is part of the larger Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) systems that determine the identity of an object automatically, collects the object’s data and then enters this data into computers systems in the form of databases without any human involvement (Bell et al 2018). The RFID system is composed of a smart tag, RFID reader or sensor, and an antenna, that collects information from tags and relay it to host computers systems via communication interphases for storage and synchronization.
Some RFID applications such as patient tracking can be utilized in healthcare facilities to boost patient management. In Mercy hospital, this technology can be harnessed by giving patients wristbands containing RFID tags that are synchronized with the hospital’s information systems. This installation will enable the automation of the administrative processes in the hospital such as new patients’ admissions and discharges as well as patient transfers.
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Another field where RFID can be applied in hospitals is the tracking and authentication of medicine and pharmaceutical inventories. RFID tags and labels on medicine containers can be easily decoded using handheld optical readers by the staff during the process of making inventories (Manzoor 2016). Besides, this can be achieved by installing fixed readers alongside shelf antennas at strategic points in the hospital to help put the products in inventories. This provides the hospital medicine database with correct drug amounts for each type of medicine and allows pharmaceuticals are frequently counted.
Another application of RFID tracking in healthcare that Mercy hospital can adopt is the tracking of surgical tools like scalpels and retractors to ensure proper sterilization. Tracking these sensitive surgical tools that are required for daily use ensure that each tool is adequately sterilized by using on-metal RFID tags placed on the surgical accessories to ensure that they have passed through the autoclaved process of disinfecting. By individually tracking each tool, the hospital management can guarantee the manufacturer-prescribed autoclave for each tool.
Therefore, RFID tracking technology will revolutionize the way different assets and processes are monitored in Mercy hospital by automating them. This will not only increase efficiency and accountability but also guarantee a high degree of professionalism in the daily activities undertaken in the hospital due to apt monitoring and tracking.
References
Bell, L., Buchanan, W. J., Cameron, J., & Lo, O. (2018). Applications of blockchain within healthcare. Blockchain in healthcare today, 1, 1-7.
Manzoor, A. (2016). RFID in Health Care-Building Smart Hospitals for Quality Healthcare. International Journal of User-Driven Healthcare (IJUDH), 6(2), 21-45.
