This post was last updated on December 8th, 2021 at 10:49 pm
RFID SYSTEMS: MEDICAL DEVICE TRACKING
A more efficient way to manage medical equipment
RFID asset management systems make it easy to keep track of important medical equipment – whether that is items being moved around within a hospital, booked out on loan to patients, life-saving kit on board an ambulance, or medical supplies being delivered to healthcare sites.
Modern systems not only enable you to find and track individual items, but also to quickly check an entire hospital bay or vehicle to ensure that all essential equipment is present and – since inspections and maintenance can all be recorded – that it is safe and ready to use. The data provided by the system can help operators make better use of expensive kit too.
CoreRFID’s solution was designed in conjunction with one of the UK’s leading ambulance services and is now used in a range of settings, from emergency services to hospitals, clinics and healthcare suppliers.
Rapid checks ensure kit is on hand and safe to use
In any medical setting, keeping track of essential assets can be challenging. Take an ambulance crew on the move – under pressure of dealing with emergencies, equipment may be misplaced, exchanged with other crews or left in hospitals. Even if it is returned to the ambulance, it may be stowed in the wrong location and appear to be missing.
Technology can solve this problem. With RFID asset tracking systems, each item to be monitored is given its own RFID tag which carries a unique identifying number. Tags can be read by a mobile phone or handheld device which will recognise the item and link it to an online database that keeps a record of its whereabouts and use.
Using a handheld device, it is possible to take an immediate inventory of a vehicle or an area to check which items are present and which, if any, are missing. The device will identify the tags on board the vehicle, compare them with a list of items that ought to be in place, and identify any unexpected assets – for example items that have come from another vehicle.
The data is then uploaded to a cloud-based system that provides a complete up-to-date record, enabling personnel in any location to see what assets are where, and giving a history of their usage.
CoreRFID’s system can be adapted to many different medical environments, and track any number of items over any number of vehicles and sites. We use tags operating in the UHF waveband which do not interfere with medical equipment. Our system also includes use of our fully-supported cloud-base database which provides a wide range of reports and data insights to help further improve the efficiency of your operation.
The benefits
CoreRFID’s medical asset management systems help to:
- Save costs by reducing loss of equipment
- Better control of assets and availability of use
- Data insights help make better use of costly assets
- Improve safety and compliance by ensuring equipment is inspected and ready for use
