Airedale NHS Trust will be piloting new Radio Frequency Identification technology from Siemens Healthcare to track 100 intravenous pumps across the trust, over 30 days.
The pilot will be the first time both Siemens and Airedale have used RFID technology to track assets across various buildings on the hospital site, via the hospital’s new wireless network with an electronic tracking tag attached to each pump.
IV pumps will be tagged with Ekahau RFID badges, which can be tracked to within approximately three metres from the main tracking system. Staff at the trust are currently training to use the new technology ahead of the month-long pilot later this year.
Dorothy Michel, head of strategic development for healthcare with Siemens, told E-Health Insider: “By working in partnership with the trust’s IT team we can not only evaluate the need for detailed tracking of IV pumps but also look at the wider opportunities for other RFID use within the hospital environment.
“This technology has been a success in the US and Germany, and this month-long pilot will enable us to quantify benefits for healthcare settings in the UK. By working with IV pumps, we are covering large parts of the hospital site, in a manageable way, enabling us to monitor changes and processes.”
The RFID pilot study will look to optimise the utilisation of medical devices within the hospital and identify future applications for tracking and tracing technology. The IV pumps can be tracked in real-time.
The aim of the pilot is to enable the trust to save resources in manually looking for the devices and streamline stock control, ensuring that pump availability is optimised, and ultimately minimise the time taken to allocate a pump to a patient.
Currently, the process for stock control, cleansing after use and distribution of the IV pumps to departments is handled manually by the medical engineering department.
“Airedale NHS Trust is intending to leverage the wireless network and prove both the concept and benefits of location services. This will provide an insight into how RFID technology could enable the more efficient use of medical equipment and thus support our application of the LEAN methodology,” said Rebecca Malin, IT project manager at Airedale NHS Trust.
Siemens will be working in partnership with the trust’s IT Department and LEAN teams. The technology evaluation will also involve the collaboration of Qolcom, who are calibrating the wireless network for use with the RFID tags and readers, and application specialist Ekahau, who are supplying the Wi-fi tag tracking and query software.
Barry Read, business development manager at Ekahau, said: “Being able to track highly portable items such as IV pumps in a hospital environment will greatly assist with improving workflow and productivity. Our Wi-fi tags enable accurate, real-time tracking, while our software enables users to query the current and historic locations of assets throughout the facility.”
Michel added: “RFID is an exciting technology which can be used in many ways to help the NHS deliver rapid and high standard care to patients. Redesigning workflow will also help shape the entire healthcare organisation into leaner process management.”
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