RFID – meaning and technology

RFID in the healthcare industry opens several opportunities:

• Tracking transportation routes,
• Optimizing workflows in hospitals,
• Managing and accessing patient data in a thoughtful way and
• Documenting and tracking material or instrument

What is RFID?

What does RFID stand for? It is an acronym for ‘radio-frequency identification’ and describes a radio system that allows wireless data transfer. Swedish radio engineer Harry Stockmann is considered the inventor.

It is not difficult to understand how radio-frequency identification works, yet it is an extremely effective tool: a reader sends a signal to a transponder to gather information. Subsequently, an electromagnetic field is generated, which can then be picked up and forwarded by the antenna of the transponder. The command to issue information as well as the incoming answer are located in the same field to be recorded by the reader.

RFID is based on the principle of resonance and reflection with electromagnetic coupling to an antenna coil or a dipole antenna. Depending on whether it is a low or high frequency system, distances from a few centimeters up to several hundred meters can be covered.

Which components does an RFID system consist of?

The two components, transponder and reader, directly interact with each other.

• Reader: The reader is composed of a reading unit and an antenna. Usually, there is an additional interface between the reader and an external system, such as a computer, to transfer data.

• Transponder: This is the main carrier of data, consisting of an integrated circuit and a radio frequency module. The Transponder, featuring a microchip, is attached to the object.

What are the advantages of RFID?

RFID is the ideal solution for customers wishing for a transparent and safe tracking system. In comparison to other options of data collection, RFID has a crucial advantage: no contact is necessary between sender and receiver.

• Workflows are optimized and protected better.
• It saves costs.
• Resources can be used more efficiently.

More benefits of RFID:

• The radio signal can easily penetrate different materials
• Information is recorded within a few seconds
• Resilient transponders: resistant to humidity and dirt
• Transponders can be adapted in form and size to a facility’s needs

Which areas use RFID technology?

In the 1960s, RFID systems became more and more affordable and were implemented in different areas. Today, they are used for example in logistics, trade or industry. It is integrated in:

• Electronic anti-theft devices
• Locks
• Cashless payment
• Locating of animals
• Public transport
• Access control
• Vehicle identification

RFID in healthcare

In the healthcare sector, RFID enables serious improvement and medical progress. For instance, hospital objects that need to be tracked seamlessly are equipped with a transponder. Medical instruments, pneumatic tube carriers, devices, clothing or even hospital beds can be located easily and fast, avoiding bottlenecks.

RFID is now also tested for specific therapy approaches, the possibilities being almost endless. At the moment, research is being conducted on an RFID device that can track the blood sugar level of diabetes patients without them having to determine it with a stab into the fingertip. In the end, all the possibilities guarantee optimal patient care.

Concerning medication supply and hospital pharmacies, RFID can prevent counterfeiting and theft. Transportation routes can be tracked in real time, considerably improving safety and efficiency.

The pneumatic tube system TranspoNet enables safe and reliable transportation of medication and lab samples to a chosen destination. There are official regulations concerning tracking, it is therefore indispensable to ensure a continuous monitoring chain. The pneumatic tube carriers are equipped with transponders and each delivery can transmit data via RFID at any given time.

The transponder is registered and attributed to the respective transport at the sending station; the delivery is connected to the carrier ID. Antenna read out the chip of the transponder and track the exact route of the carrier in the pneumatic tube. TranspoNet engineers can therefore track deliveries and react accordingly in case something goes wrong. Real-time data about any delivery detail, such as status or location, can be viewed in protocols and reports. Every delivery can be identified. By constantly monitoring the whole process, the required transparency is guaranteed.

When the carrier arrives at the receiving station, the delivery is double-checked: If a wrong carrier is identified, the systems issues an error message and the technical service can track the lost carrier in the system.

Readers are as well integrated at the tube system interfaces to detect irregularities or to redirect wrong carriers. Deliveries always reach their planned destination and irregularities are corrected immediately.

In addition to standard features, RFID offers other possibilities:

• Station-specific requirements: Different requirements can be attributed to different kinds of carriers, for example by color-coding certain transports.
• Carrier maintenance: All transports can be counted via RFID, making it possible to determine when it is time for maintenance work.
• Automatic transports: A fixed destination can be attributed to every carrier ID, so that it is automatically sent back to this address without manual entering.
• Managing empty carriers: The current and target status of carrier stock is analyzed to distribute empty carriers accordingly.

Track & Trace Software Delivery Manager

The Delivery Manager Software for pneumatic tube systems allows users to access RFID transmitted data in a fast and easy manner. In order to track deliveries in real time, RFID communicates directly with the software, which is accessible for authorized personnel from different devices in the network. The software is connected to the database of the healthcare institution and access rights can be defined individually.

Not only can carriers in the pneumatic tube system be tracked, but it is also possible to assign the delivered material to a carrier. Users can therefore see the exact content of each carrier.

This is how it works:

1. The transponder ID is registered during preparation.
2. The software recognizes the carrier ID.
3. The software connects the delivery order to the carrier.

During the whole process, information about delivery content, destination or status is exchanged between TranspoNet and Delivery Manager. In case of deviations, users receive an alert message. Delivery Manager optimizes processes – adapted to the needs of hospital pharmacies, labs and blood banks.

Conclusion: RFID and healthcare

RFID helps us in many aspects of daily life. In the healthcare sector, it is a decisive factor for transport logistics, improving safety and the quality of transports. In the future, the potential will be further exploited to use RFID technology for optimized processes.