Belgian Hospitals Use RFID to Track Temperatures, Assets and Patients

Jan Yperman Hospital, located near the city of Bruges, employs 100 doctors and 1,000 additional workers. It admits 15,000 patients annually, and treats 18,000 others as day patients. The 550-bed hospital is currently focusing its wireless tracking efforts on one of its multiple buildings. For its high-risk patients, the facility is employing approximately 400 AeroScout RFID tags that come with call buttons workers can press in the event of an emergency. The tags are used by patients who might become disoriented, such as those suffering from Alzheimer's, says Christophe Mouton, the hospital's director of administration, finance, ICT and technical service.

Systems integrator Telindus installed 125 exciters at exit locations throughout the building. The exciters awaken the patient tags, which transmit a signal at a preset rate when not in motion, more frequently when moving, and immediately upon receiving a 125 kHz wake-up signal from an exciter. If the tag receives an exciter's signal, it transmits its own unique ID number, as well as the exciter's ID number, to the Wi-Fi nodes. That data is then sent to the MobileView software, which issues an alert indicating a particular patient has entered a specific unauthorized area.

In addition to monitoring patients, Haithcox says, the hospital is also tracking approximately 1,000 pieces of equipment, including pumps, wheelchairs and beds.

Previously, in February 2008, the hospital installed 40 AeroScout 2.4 GHz RFID tags with temperature sensors inside refrigerators that chill blood bags and lab specimens. The refrigerators were a concern, Cook explains, because if one of their doors are left open, the temperature inside the unit can rise above a safe level. The tags transmit the refrigerators' interior temperature to nearby Wi-Fi nodes, which send that data to AeroScout's MobileView software. If the cooling unit's temperature exceeds or falls below a set threshold, MobileView can trigger an alert to the hospital staff.

Although the MobileView system thus far stands alone, Haithcox says it will eventually be integrated into the hospital's ERP system. This will enable staff members to follow a patient through the hospital, from admission to discharge, thereby tracking how long that individual waited in any particular location, such as imaging.

To date, Mouton says, "asset tracking is very effective, and accuracy is more than enough. Our employees—technical department, nurses, doctors—are very enthusiastic."

Mouton predicts the hospital will receive a return on its investment in one to two years, based on fewer man-hours spent searching for assets, and reduced wastage by preventing refrigerated products from being stored at improper temperatures. He also expects to see greater patient safety by tracking the locations of some patients. The hospital, he says, intends to purchase additional patient and asset tags in the future as it expands the system.