Justin Kemp asked 3 years ago Where might I obtain an RFID wristband designed to monitor patient temperatures and locations, which could then forward that data to a centralized system so hospitals could track all patients running a fever?
—Justin
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Justin,
The answer would depend on your definition of "RFID bracelet." Most smart watches, including the Apple Watch, can detect your temperature and most have a passive high-frequency (HF) or Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID transponder built into them. Does that make them an RFID bracelet, though? Some people would say it does, while others would say it doesn't because you cannot read the NFC tag and track a person's movements as you could with a hospital bracelet containing an active RFID tag.
In October 2018, Maxim Integrated released its HSP 2.0 wristband system, which measures temperature levels, as well as respiratory and heart health, via IoT data (see BLE- and Bluetooth-Based Wristband Delivers Personalized Health Information). Companies can use the technology to create solutions for individuals wanting control of their own healthcare data. It is designed for personalized use and not for tracking the locations of patients with high fevers in a hospital, but it could possibly be adapted for that use by utilizing a Bluetooth-based real-time location system.
There is not, to my knowledge, any active RFID bracelet that specifically monitors patient temperatures and locations and forwards the collected data to a centralized software system so hospitals can keep track of feverish patients. If any of our readers know of such a device, they are invited to let me know so I can update this post.
Yours,
Mark Roberti
Founder and Editor
RFID Journal
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