The Management and Application of a Radio Frequency Identification System in Operating Rooms

Abstract

Radio frequency identification (RFID) systems are currently employed for a wide range of health care procedures. To prevent incidents of medical negligence and occurrences of adverse events, information technology (IT) systems that facilitate instantaneous delivery of relevant information to support and remind medical professionals may provide an appropriate solution. This study focuses on the use of RFID systems for surgical patients, which involves patients wearing an RFID wristband throughout the processes of admission, preoperative examination, operation, postoperative recovery, to discharge. Subsequently, by integrating RFID and the Internet, patient information can be promptly accessed, which not only eliminates the need for manually documenting the steps throughout the operation flow, but also enables medical staff to monitor and perform relevant medical tasks, enhancing the accuracy, completeness, and success of each operation. In addition, RFID enables operating room (OR) managers to promptly and quickly obtain accurate and complete patient information (basic patient data, department, surgical procedure, time of surgery, anesthesia type, time of anesthesia, blood transfusion rate, number of surgical instruments, OR utilization time, and surgical team data) and related quality indicators to facilitate decision making.