Tan Tock Seng Hospital Uses RFID to Take Patient Temperatures

Using the system, temperature readings are performed automatically and information is continuously uploaded from the SmartNode interrogators to servers. Cadi's SmartSense Enterprise software provides information regarding temperature and vital signs through a dashboard tool, with all vital-sign values automatically plotted on paperless clinical charts.

Laptops have replaced traditional clipboards to track a patient's vital signs, according to Lim, and hospital officials are seeking ways to better share information between doctors, nurses and departments.

"The new wireless temperature-monitoring system is already delivering enhanced patient care, as patients have more uninterrupted rest and nurses are alerted immediately once a fever is detected," Lim states. "It has also reduced the nurses' workload, as they do not need to manually plot vital signs into paper clinical charts, and clinical information is readily available to doctors who can log on anytime, anywhere, to view patient clinical charts. It is a major leap towards becoming a digital hospital."

Yong agrees that the new system already delivers benefits to the hospital, as nurses now have more time to perform other duties, such as feeding patients or managing those who need to be isolated.

"This is part of the hospital's long-term vision to move towards paperless charting and improve access to patients' records for health-care providers," Yong says. "Our next move is to explore devices for automatic measurements and charting of other vital signs, such as blood pressure. There are plans to use it for equipment tracking."

According to Yong, although it is too early to determine if the temperature-monitoring system has generated a return on investment, early signs are certainly promising. Full rollout of the temperature sensors to 1,200 patients, he says, is expected to take approximately four months.