Locating X-ray protection vests for inspections and maintenance was a time-consuming task at one large medical center before the facility implemented a solution consisting of passive UHF RFID tags, a handheld reader and software to manage each vest’s location and inspection data. The system, which can read a tag sewn into a radiology vest, was developed by the hospital’s management team to improve efficiency related to monitoring more than 850 vests’ inspection status and location. The Joint Commission mandates the annual inspection of the vests. Prior to the solution’s implementation, members of the radiology staff had to look through their histories on a spreadsheet before attempting to locate each one by walking through as many as 30 or 40 storage locations. Since installing the system in 2013, the facility has saved the department considerable time previously spent locating and inspecting vests, while also lowering labor costs.
