The healthcare industry is expected to tap into the benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) in coming years, but technical difficulties are limiting large-scale adoption.
The experience of Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, which is nearing the end of a pilot to track life-saving equipment, is indicative of the problems faced.
Clinical scientist Jason Britton says the technology offers a range of potential benefits, but considerable effort is required to overcome many technical issues.
‘The pilot began with a different manufacturer, but we had issues detecting some medical equipment such as infusion pumps,’ he said.
‘We thought that metal in the devices’ casing interfered with the signal. We also had accuracy problems, with about 10 per cent of assets not detected.’
The Scottish hospital switched to Wavetrend’s RFID hardware, tags and readers, coupled with existing software from Mantic Point that can be easily adapted to cope with changing needs.
Britton says the goal of the pilot was to learn about the technology and identify potential difficulties. In that respect, it has proved successful.
He believes RFID will ultimately deliver a range of benefits, and the hospital is expanding the trial to track equipment from the accident and emergency department to other wards.
‘RFID can improve efficiency considerably by reducing the time staff spend finding misplaced equipment,’ said Britton.
NHS Forth Valley project assistant John Rice says the cost of establishing an RFID project also limits take-up.
‘It can cost tens of thousands of pounds to set up an RFID system, and that kind of money is not available in the NHS without a proven return on investment,’ he said.
However, hospitals are continuing to tap into RFID. The Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is testing readers to track equipment, while Birmingham Heartlands Hospital was the first to electronically tag patients with RFID bracelets linked to a photograph and electronic records, instead of plastic wristbands.
AMR Research analyst Nigel Montgomery says high-tech hospital equipment, metal and water can affect an RFID signal.
‘This means hospitals must perform due diligence before selecting RFID technology and more extensive testing,’ he said.
‘Hospitals are more complicated environments than a factory, for example, because equipment moves around wards daily, making it hard to take a stable read.’
Peter Harrop, chairman of RFID analyst ID TechEx, agrees that hospitals encounter a number of technical challenges when implementing RFID technology.
‘The ultra-high frequency in RFID is also used widely by microwaves and mobile phones, and equipment using radiation can affect tags,’ he said.
But he says the business case is robust and expects tagging of assets and staff to eventually rise. ‘At the moment, the healthcare sector can lose up to 15 per cent of assets a year,’ he said.
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RFID trial tracks hospital kit
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