Applications and Challenges of RFID in Hospitals

Hospitals are experiencing increases in the numbers of patients admitted, which necessitates corresponding increases in associated medical devices for efficient services. The overwhelming demand on healthcare services has created significant amounts of effort for locating proper resources, impacting professional healthcare delivery, often in times of emergencies. This essential requirement of locating accurately and utilizing medical devices and caregivers can be effectively managed by applying radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies. The objectives of the present project are to review the applications of RFID systems in hospitals to locate patients, staff, and equipment and identify the associated operational challenges.

As timely and efficient medical services are vital for proper patient care, local as well as international hospitals struggle to keep up with the demands and to manage the proper equipment and staff needed to provide exceptional patient care. The case studies included in the project demonstrate that RFID systems used for various applications at hospitals resolve problems related to expected on-time and appropriate patient care. While the cost of initial implementation of RFID-integrated systems in hospitals can be substantial, it has been shown that long term cost savings and return on investment can be achieved by diligent design and management.

In conclusion, it is evident that hospitals can increase productivity by having knowledge of available medical devices, rooms and staff while maintaining high levels of services available to patients. The use of RFID can be instrumental in addressing the challenges and providing real time information on medical device tracking and staff to achieve superior patient care at reasonable costs.

Author(s):

Teresa Paczuska    
Construction Management
Wentworth Institute of Technology
United States

Shankar Krishnan    
BME
Wentworth Institute of Technology
United States