Memorial Health OR Unit Chooses UWB RFID

The hospitals expect to begin using the RFID system to track surgical assets by the second quarter of this year. A few months later, Armstrong says, they will begin utilizing it to track personnel carrying Parco tags.

Since 2002, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's hospitals have used PCTS tracking software in their shared emergency department, enabling caregivers to monitor how long each patient visit lasts, as well as the length of time patients receive care and other metrics. At the time of initial deployment, says Armstrong, the hospitals' emergency department was tripling in size from 18 beds to 53 in response to increasing patient volume.

That system combines PCTS' software and infrared/RFID locating hardware made by Versus Technology. Patients' clothing is tagged with Versus infrared-RFID badges to monitor and track their movements and care progression throughout their visit. Staff members also wear badges so the software can record their interactions with patients. For example, when a nurse and patient in each other's proximity meet a defined threshold of time together, a "patient seen by nurse" metric is automatically recorded in the software, explains Armstrong. "This eliminates data entry, provides complete and accurate patient flow information, and communicates care status in real-time," he says.

The patient-tracking system has helped improve workflow in the emergency department, Stewart says. According to Armstrong, emergency department personnel have used the system to focus on reducing wait times. For instance, the department learned that patients were waiting an average of 80 minutes to see a triage nurse. It then reassessed triage procedures and added staff when busy. Today, he says, the average wait time to see a triage nurse is 9 minutes.

To transmit their unique ID numbers, the badges generally use infrared technology, which requires an unobstructed line of sight between the badge and the interrogator; if no clear line of sight is available, the badges can transmit active RFID signals. For the new asset-tracking deployment, however, the hospitals decided to pursue RFID only.

Based on the outcome of the RFID-based automated tracking in the surgical services department, Stewart says, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's hospitals hope to expand the system throughout the rest of their facilities.