RFID Tracks Surgical Patients
With an eye on patient safety, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in the United Kingdom adopted RFID tagged wristbands in the surgical departments for ENT and thoracic procedures. The product, Safe Surgery Systems, facilitates patient safety through a stepped series of checkpoints to verify patient identity and the planned procedure.
The RFID wristbands are linked to patient medical records, which includes a picture of the patient for identity verification. Surgical staff members have PDAs equipped with RFID readers. The caregiver links to records and completes pre-operative checks (called “traffic lights”) before the patient is taken for surgery. It is also used to record care following surgery.
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- RFID’s Adoption in Supply Chains Proves Slow, But Hospitals Make It Work
- Implanted Data Chips About to Be Available in Some DC Hospitals
- RFID for Health Care Productivity
April 13, 2007 Related topics: New Technology & Innovation, Quality, Safety, Errors, Surgery