Evaluating RFID in Healthcare: Is It Practical and Cost Effective?
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology used by some healthcare facilities to keep track of patients and locate equipment. It is able to do this by using tags and readers that can be read automatically. RFID uses two types of tags – active and passive tags. Active tags can last for several years, are long range and have large data capacities. Passive tags are short range and can be implanted under the skin.
Some healthcare facilities have adopted the use of RFID for better patient care, to prevent human error, to improve hygiene, for better asset management and for better inventory management. Basically, RFID is meant to improve efficiency in healthcare.
In patient care, RFID is able to correctly identify patients, see to it that they are given the correct medication and locate their files whenever necessary. It does this by transmitting the patient’s NHS number then automatically recording their care.
Many medical operating rooms have embraced the use of LF technology to prevent human error. Before an operation, equipment to be used for surgery is sterilized and tagged and after the operation, doctors scan the patient to ensure that everything used in the surgery has been removed.
All healthcare workers are required to wash their hands at touch points in accordance with hand washing protocols. To make sure this happens, all healthcare workers wear RFID badges and they are monitored to see to it that they wash their hands.
In asset management, RFID is able to tag all items on high demand to reduce theft. When these items are tagged the RFID easily locates them whenever they are required using radio transmissions, saving staff time that could have been wasted searching for the items themselves.
RFID is used to manage the inventory supply by showing where everything is at all times from remote locations. It can also be used to do auditing, deny unauthorized people access to storage cabinets and shows what needs to be bought. RFID is also used in laundry management and waste disposal.
On the downside, RFID is very expensive and most healthcare facilities cannot afford it. Also, civil libertarians have expressed concern that snoopers can be able to read patients’ tags and get information on their credit cards. The snoopers can then track the patients after they have been discharged.
In summary, RFID in healthcare is practical and cost-effective because healthcare facilities are able to improve patient treatment and save costs because of RFID.
