RFID Applications In Hospital Equipment Tracking

Even before the recent RFID mandates were introduced, the problems of managing and tracking equipment and assets have plagued hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide. Ranging from bed facilities, IV pumps, surgical equipment, to wheel chairs, there are assets and equipment that create challenges for the healthcare facility.

RFID technology offers a remedy to these problems through active RFID tags that can be placed on the equipment or the asset. The types of RFID technologies are: Passive and Active - Real time Location Services (RTLS) or Hybrid Technologies (sensors and integrated solutions).

Passive RFID tags such as bar code systems often require a person to manually scan a tag or a label to capture the data. But the active RFID tags automatically transmit data or location information. The active RFID tags can detect any movement, tampering, or environmental conditions through the use of sensors incorporated in the tags. Active RFID tags are available in a variety of shapes and forms for different types of assets or equipment. Depending on the characteristics of the facility, requirements of the facility or organization, and the importance of the equipment or the asset, an RFID tag placed in a specific area or range of the facility can read the signal to manage or track the asset.

The simple concept is to place a transponder (a microchip with an antenna) on an item and then use a reader (a device with one or more antennas) to read data off the microchip using radio waves. The reader then passes the captured information to a computer so that the information can be used to create business value.