RFID for Surgical Equipment
Following the trend of exploiting RFID technology, Siemens IT Solutions and Services is evaluating the utility of tagging surgical equipment. The effort is particularly focused on materials used inside body cavities during surgery which may be left inadvertently, a significant adverse event. Items planned for tagging include surgical sponges, swabs, and gauze, among other materials used during operative procedures.
One of the biggest advantages, as already mentioned, is to limit the likelihood that materials will be lost. Another advantage is that the technology may help minimize staff time in the operating room not dedicated to patient care through use of RFID for instrument counting before and after procedures.
The testing is being completed at Isar River University Hospital in Munich, Germany. Another component of the project that the collaborative is evaluating is providing staff with RFID tags to document staffing in the operative suite. The effort is intended to document procedure times and staff roles in the OR.
Other ongoing efforts are evaluating RFID to track patients as they go through surgery, including a hospital in Pennsylvania.
Related stories:
- RFID Tracks Surgical Patients
- RFID Technology Tracks Medical Equipment
- Gundersen Lutheran Handles Instruments with Wireless
- RFID for Health Care Productivity
April 25, 2007 Related topics: Wireless, Quality, Safety, Errors, Surgery