Digital tagging (RFID) is offering a solution for improving patient safety and managing high cost hospital equipment location according to an article in “Health Informatics Now”, the new magazine from the British Computer Society (BCS) Health Informatics Community.
In the article on Digital Tagging, BCS committee member Colin Jervis reveals how radio frequency identification (RFID) is being used in various hospitals and departments to improve service, ensure safety and prevent fraud.
Uses include adding digital photographs of patients to electronic records as a control, through to the management of supply chains by the pharmaceutical industry of RFID to prevent the distribution of illegal and counterfeit drugs.
Colin Jervis says: “Almost anything can be tagged, assets, patients and consumables. In hospitals, tagging of equipment like ECG machines and wheelchairs and IV pumps could result in large savings by making them easier to locate, so reducing the overall numbers needed.”
RFID is also opening up many innovative opportunities which are being exploited by healthcare providers across the globe. For example, Nice University is testing the use of electronic tags to improve the delivery of meals to the elderly and infirm through its “Meals at Home” service. Delivery people scan tags on the meal trays and the patient’s cards to make sure the correct meal is delivered to the correct patient. If a patient appears unwell, information can also be sent by SMS directly to the patient’s doctor and relations.
“Health Informatics Now” is a quarterly newsletter available to all BCS members involved with the health informatics specialist groups and forum. It aims to inform readers of what’s going on in the health informatics world, showcase the work of BCS specialist groups and provide a place for information about the work done by the Forum. It is also available online http://www.bcs.org/forum/hinow
