A recent rash of health scares seems to be dominating the world news these days. News about deadly viruses – from the Ebola crisis to Measles – spreads faster than the diseases themselves. Although this can be upsetting for the general public, these types of news stories do serve to call our collective attention to the critical need for improved patient safety.
To address this need, many of today’s medical professionals and device manufacturers are finding new ways to make use of RFID technology. For example, the application of RFID to implement unique device identifier (UDI) tracking of medical devices helps stop the spread of infection by ensuring proper maintenance, sterilization or disposal of medical devices.
One particularly innovative application is the patented iRIScope™ solution from Mobile Aspects, which incorporates FEIG’s OBID® RFID technology as part of an advanced system to monitor the storage, use and reprocessing of flexible endoscopes. This patient-centric approach provides the added level of confidence, quality control and security necessary to reduce the risk of infection, thereby improving patient safety and quality of care.
Another important development is the recent approval by the Food and Drug Administration to use RFID to track the nation’s blood supply. In fact, RFID technology from FEIG Electronics is being used as part of a system to track blood supplies through the entire biologics supply chain. This quality control measure helps to eliminate common human errors in the distribution of biologics, which play a critical role in patient safety and the spread of infection.
FEIG’s RFID reader systems are FCC certified, offering solutions for the healthcare industry to track medical equipment, medical supplies and patients. Ideally suited to the healthcare industry, FEIG’s RFID readers support sensor technologies such as temperature and moisture for effortless, hands-free data capture solutions that allow hospitals to focus on patient care and improved patient safety.