Overcoming challenges in RFID implementation within healthcare facilities
In the healthcare industry, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology emerged as a disruptive technology, offering both challenges and benefits. RFID labels in the UK, for example, work through a wireless communication system which utilises electromagnetic firels to instantly (and even automatically) identify and track gaps attached to objects – medical equipment, medications, and patience.
Such a transformative technology improves patient safety, streamlines inventory management, and enhances operations. Yet, RFID benefits for health care don’t come without drawbacks. One of the most commons ones include associated costs, privacy concerns, and as well as smooth implementation withing the healthcare ecosystem.
Here’s RFID explained. Read on for more.
Interference with medical equipment
One of the common challenges of RFID deployment is associated with the tech aspect. For example, there are many cases in the industry of RFID systems interfering with medical devices, which is, undoubtedly, raises a range of concerns regarding the patience safety
.In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that RFID could disrupt the operation of medical equipment like defibrillators, ventilators, and infusion pumps. You’re not going to bet on the patient’s life, right?
The most common way to mitigate this risk is to avoid using RFID in intensive care units and minimize interference risks. Some hospitals even conduct special on-site EMI tests before implementation to check the grounds and see if such system would be improvement or bottleneck to the operations..
Signal penetration
Another hurdle from the tech perspective is the signal penetration within the hospital environment. What does it mean? In simple words, imagine metal objects, liquids, and glass disrupting the RFID signal, leading to the decreased read rates as well as accuracy.
Further disruptors for the signal penetration involve building materials and layout that influence directly the signal strength and coverage as well as ceiling height and reader placement.
To address the arising issues in this field, many healthcare organisations conduct site evaluations and plan reader placement in the most optimal position. In some rare cases, some might consider using UHF RFID technology that offers longer read ranges and better penetration through all kinds of materials.
Protecting sensitive patient information
Other challenges of RFID deployment involve data security and its compliance with UK data regulations. Speaking specifically, RFID technology collects and stores sensitive information about patience, raising such concerns as unathorised access and tracking.
That is why healthcare entities not only have to encrypt the data to ensure that everything is safe and sound but also take control of the access, limiting the possibility of data leaks (which can compromise the protected health information).
To minimise the risk of cyber threats and losing patient data, healthcare providers usually conduct risk assessment, spread awareness to patients regarding the RFID technology, enhance the security measures, and, most importantly, train staff accordingly.
Cost and ROI Considerations
Another drawback contributor to healthcare RFID implementation is the hardware costs, software integration, and investment in the infrastructure of the RFID technology in hospitals overall. For example, active RFID tags (that have their power source) can cost between $50 to $150 each, while RFID readers would be up to $3,000 per unit.
The price for software also differs, depending on the providers, however, the general number that you’re likely to see ranges from $25,000 to $100,000. In most cases, this represent roughly 40-60% of the total project cost. Plus, networking equipment adds additional 25%-35% costs to your budget.
So, the overall process of implementation for medium-sized hospitals could be anything between $200,000 to $600,000, and in rare cases, this number can even hit $1 million.
However, if you approach it from the investment side, you can see that RFID can lead to significant cost reductions, operational efficiency, patient care quality, and return on investment.
Wrapping Up
Does RFID implementation withing healthcare facility worth it? The short answer is yes. Yet, there is a number of considerations to weigh to see the actual worth of this technology for your enterprise specifically.
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