RFID reduces clinical errors and makes healthcare services more efficient

Together with the retail sector, healthcare is considered one of the most promising for RFID. Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and the cosmetics industry are already using this technology in a variety of ways.

RFID can help reduce clinical errors, combat the counterfeiting of medicinal products and ensure that products are absolutely authentic. This allows companies to improve their profitability while lowering costs for patients and consumers.

A World Health Organisation report revealed that one in 10 hospital patients experiences a preventable clinical error that could cause injury or even death.

RFID can reduce these errors when used, for example, to track blood products. In controlled restricted areas, wristbands enable surgeons to identify patients being taken to the operating theatre to make sure the right person is receiving the right treatment, while nurses can read a patient’s ID before administering medication. 

More examples: certain hospitals are using RFID tagging on medical equipment and medicinal products to prevent loss. RFID will also play a key role in managing the supply of medical instruments to hospitals, so that they are readily available when needed.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are beginning to tag their products in order to recall them more quickly, if necessary. They are also tagging medicinal products so that patients know their pills are safe to take. The reason: medicine counterfeiting costs more than $200 billion in lost revenue each year worldwide. And, more importantly, it costs lives.