RFID use is expanding in healthcare. How do you see it improving patient safety and clinician efficiency?

Andrew:

RAIN RFID when deployed with properly tagged items, can increase product visibility while driving efficiency and patient safety. Used in combination with barcodes, RFID tags not only store the same data, they also carry important information like batch/lot and expiration date, which is important when items like syringes and small vials only have room for a Universal Product Code (UPC). This combination allows tagged products to contain additional information that can be collected in an automated fashion rather than requiring transcription from a label or carton. This data can help improve recall processes in hospitals, allowing applications to “search” for products that fit recall parameters without the need for clinicians to scour hospital carts or cabinets. In addition, increased visibility without a requirement to scan barcodes can reduce the number of times a clinician needs to handle a product. When tagged products are dispensed, RFID helps ensure the correct product gets to the right patient at the right time and in the right dosage. Ultimately, the ability to query a tag for attribute information in a clinical setting means clinicians can be more efficient in reducing transcription errors while supporting better overall inventory management and, most importantly, patient safety.

What is RAIN RFID?

Andrew:

Radio frequency identification or RFID is a technology that enables the sharing of data encoded in RFID tags via RFID scanners. The term RAIN RFID specifies use of the UHF frequency band, which leverages the GS1 air interface protocol to communicate with tags. GS1 refers to “RAIN RFID” tags in this document whenever making reference to UHF RFID tags.

NOTE: Within the UHF RFID technology space, GS1 only endorses RAIN RFID implementations that are encoded per GS1’s EPC standards (which is a subset of all RAIN RFID implementations).

What are the current challenges in adopting RFID in healthcare?

Andrew:

Earlier this year, GS1 US facilitated an industry workgroup, composed of supply chain participants and solution providers to produce the GS1 Healthcare US Implementation Guideline for RFID in Healthcare Manufacturing based on the EPC Tag Data Standard (TDS) which defines the application of GS1 encodings in RFID. The belief is that standardizing the data elements and how they are encoded onto the tag will help promote adoption by manufacturers and supply chain participants. This opens the door for tagging to expand beyond those closed-loop systems. Standardizing the tagging approach allows solution providers and supply chain participants to plan how to use the data to meet their business and patient needs. As more source-tagged EPC-encoded RAIN RFID products enter the supply chain, it will become more appealing for distributors and nonclinical entities to employ RFID to help drive efficiency in areas requiring heavy manual effort today.

As new products are tagged for use across the supply chain, stakeholders will continue to gain the visibility benefits they already enjoy and have the potential to drive those same benefits beyond the use cases targeted today. This allows for better patient safety and supply chain efficiency, with new opportunities not only in hospital or clinical settings but also further up the supply chain.

Where do you see the future of RFID in healthcare?

Andrew:

RFID technology can provide future benefits in the hospital system. These would focus on improving safety, accuracy, and compliance.

After tagging medications and incorporating that information into the EMR, I can track medications across all steps and systems throughout the hospital. This allows Pharmacy to comply with DSCSA requirements upon medication receipt and uploading inventory immediately into inventory systems. Pharmacy would be able to track the accuracy of medication preparation in the IV room by ensuring that the correct medications and diluents are chosen in drug preparation. Pharmacy and nursing would be able to track medications through the delivery process, making sure that the time and location of delivery are known to all, decreasing turnaround time, frustration, and remaking of medications. In the future, automated dispensing cabinets and medication carts equipped with RFID readers will be able to determine current inventory, lot, and expiration information on all medications housed in them.

Placing RFID readers in patients’ rooms will allow real-time nurse notification about allergy alerts or violations of the 7 Rights of Drug Administration. RFID integration in the EMR will also speed up and increase billing accuracy. This could remove this important step from the conscious workflow of people focused on the patient and automate the system.