Nov 17, 2019I'm not sure if he saw my Editor's Note from last week (see The Benefits of RFID in Apparel), in which I discussed the technology's applications in the apparel sector, but I received an email this week from a person asking about all of the applications for RFID in the health-care field. I explained that the most important applications involve tracking assets to increase utilization rates and reduce capital expenditures on replacements that aren't really needed, as well as monitoring patients to ensure they are safe and are being treated in a timely way.
I then listed some of the major use cases for RFID technologies at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other facilities, and I provided real-world examples from articles published on our website. I now share these with you in the hope that they will help health-care providers see how powerful RFID is and the many different benefits it can deliver. So here goes:
Tracking Assets and Improving Utilization Rates
• San Joaquin Hospital Boosts Asset Utilization
• Asset Tracking Underway at WakeMed Cary Hospital
• Tokyo Hospital Tracks Equipment via RFID-Enabled Shelving
Tracking Patients and Staff
• Killure Bridge Nursing Home Tracks Staff, High-Risk Residents
• Haus Desiree Uses RTLS to Keep an Eye on Nursing Home Residents
• Wi-Fi RFID System for Long-Term Care
• Wright University Researchers Test RFID and Ultrasound for 3-D RTLS
• Nursing Home in Turkey Installs Elpas RTLS from Tyco Security Products
• German Senior Citizens Home Implements Ekahau Wi-Fi RTLS
• RFID Tracks Elderly Care Participants and Staff, Onsite and Off
• Retirement Community Gains Insight From RTLS
• Answering the Call at Senior Care Facility
Tracking Implantable Devices and Consumables
• RFID Heals Hospital's Inventory Problems
• Concord Hospital Implements Logi-D Replenishment System
• Tennessee Hospital Tracks High-Value Items
Tracking Pharmaceuticals
• German Hospital Expects RFID to Eradicate Drug Errors
• Nyack Hospital Tracks Medication Compliance
• North Carolina Hospital Identifies Recalled Drugs Via RFID
• Improving Hospital-Based Medication Administration Using NFC
• Rady Children's Hospital Tracks Anesthetic Drugs Via RFID
• RxSafes Machines Use RFID to Automatically Dispense Medications
Tracking Tissue Samples
• Irish Hospital Tracks Precious Samples
• RFID Provides Tissue-Tracking Gains for Hospitals
• Aegis Sciences Corp. Manages Bio Samples More Efficiently With RFID
Monitoring Patient Conditions
• Hospital Using RTLS to Monitor Patients' Conditions
Monitoring Hand-Hygiene Compliance
• Hospital's Hand-Hygiene Rate Doubles With RTLS Technology
• Hospital Deploys RFID to Boost Hand-Washing Compliance
• Technologies Solutions Group Markets RFID Hand-Hygiene Compliance System
Tracking Patients and Matching Services to Them
• Hospital Uses RFID for Surgical Patients
• Chicago Hospital Deployment Delivers a Healthy ROI
Tracking Blood Used for Transfusions
• RFID Tracks Blood at Australia's Liverpool Hospital
• RFID Tracks Blood for Pediatric Transfusions
Tracking Shelf Life
• RFID Enables Use of Non-synthetic Cleaner by Tracking Expirations
Garment Tracking
• Tagsys-Dreamydress Solution Tracks Garments in Hundreds of Nursing Homes
• RFID Tidies Up Distribution of Hospital Scrubs
Novel Applications
• RFID to Track Dentures at Nursing Homes
• Electronic Underpants Help Caregivers Cope With Incontinence
• RFID Helps Secure Dignity for Senior Community Residents
• RFID Fills Security Gap at Psychiatric Ward
• RTLS Offers Novel Approach to Dementia Research
• RFID Gives Dementia Patients Their Freedom
Operating Room Applications
I recently wrote about some of the common applications in this area (see How Is RFID Being Used in Hospital Operating Rooms?). As you can see, there are many applications and use cases for RFID in health care, and numerous hospitals have employed the technology for one or more of them. Few have implemented RFID for more than three or four, however, so there are many benefits still to be had.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal.
