How to Choose the Right RFID System: A Step-by-Step Guide for Providers of Health Care

Published: April 2011
Number of pages: 37
Price: $395

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Radio frequency identification is a broad term covering any system that can identify objects remotely using radio waves. RFID technologies are used for a wide array of applications in hospitals and clinics—from tracking large assets, such as gurneys and wheelchairs, to tracking inventories of medical devices, such as stents, and identifying lab samples. Different applications have vastly different performance requirements. A large,multi-floor hospital, for instance, might need to identify a piece of medical equipment from 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more away, and locate it to within a 10-foot (3-meter) radius, while a medical researcher might need to identify the slot of a specific test tube only a few inches square in size.

No report can conclusively determine the right RFID system for a particular organization's needs, but this guide will help those charged with selecting a system narrow the options. Our goal is to reduce the time hospitals spend researching the appropriate system, and to provide the information they need to choose a systems integrator and, perhaps, hardware and software providers (a good systems integrator will help with the technology-selection process).

Table of Contents

Part 1
What Is RFID?

The Major Types of RFID Systems
      Passive
      Active
      Battery-Assisted
      Real-Time Location Systems

Part 2
A Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing the Right RFID System for Your Application

      1. Determine whether you want to deploy RFID as a point solution to solve one
          problem, or as an infrastructure approach to solve multiple problems.
      2. Determine which objects and/or people you would like to track.
      3. Determine over what distance each object or person needs to be identified
          and tracked.
      4. Determine the location accuracy required for each item being tracked, as well
          as the layout of the environment.
      5. Create a table within which you can place each item on your list.
      6. Consider other factors that might influence which system is most appropriate:
            • How large is the asset?
            • How critical is knowledge of the asset's location?
            • What other RF devices are in operation in the area in which the RFID
              system will be used?
            • Do you need to monitor the item's condition?
            • How much will deploying the system disrupt existing operational activities?
            • Does the system need to be intrinsically safe or HERO-compliant?
            • How important is data security?
            • What is the total cost of ownership?
      7. Prioritize the benefits of tracking and managing the objects, or groups of objects,
          on your list.
      8. Engage the services of a good system integrator.
      9. Pilot the system.
      10. Roll out the system and expand it as needed.

Part 3
The Different Types of Passive RFID Systems

Passive
      Low-Frequency
      High-Frequency
      Ultrahigh-Frequency

Passive Real-Time Locating Systems
      Ultrahigh-Frequency
      Ultra-wideband

Part 4
The Different Types of Active RFID Systems

Active
      ISO-18000-7 (Dash7)
      Proprietary Systems
      RuBee

Active Real-Time Locating Systems
      Ultra-wideband
      Wi-Fi
      ZigBee
      Proprietary Systems

Part 5
Battery-Assisted RFID Systems

Part 6
Hybrid RFID Systems
      RFID and Infrared

Part 7
RFID Sensor Networks

Part 8
Alternatives to RFID
      Infrared
      Ultrasound
      2-D bar codes

Table 1
      Product Features in the Major Real-Time Location Systems for Health Care

Appendices
      1. The Components of an RFID System
      2. RFID Health-Care Applications
      3. Leading RFID Technology Providers by Type of System Sold

Graph 1
      Read Distance and Location Accuracy of the Major Types of RFID Systems