Category Archives: RFID

NFC medication tracking system

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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Well, well, well, here’s one page in my idea book that I can put a big read “X” through [December 6 2011 - Page #42]. And for all those people that told me it was a stupid idea – you know who you are – I have one word for you: Harvard. Yeah, that’s right, Harvard. It seems that some intelligent, forward thinking people over at Harvard Medical School have developed an NFC system for medication administration at the bedside.

Ah, justification. Feels good. Sorry, sometimes being petty feels good.

NFC World: “Harvard Medical School’s teaching affiliate Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has developed an NFC system aimed at making it easier for nurses to track and administer each patient’s medication.

The new bedside system uses a combination of Google Nexus 7 NFC devices, which run the new application and store details of each patient and their prescribed medications, and NFC tags attached to patient wristbands, medication packages and employee ID badges.

When administering medication, nurses use the NFC tablet to tap the tags on the patient’s wristband, on the medication and on their ID badge. The application running on the tablet then checks to see if the medication and dosage is the correct one for the patient and records which medication was administered to the patient and by whom.”

Booyah!

Research: Dr. Adam Landman: Near-Field Communication Technology at the Patient Bedside from BWH Public Affairs on Vimeo.

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RFID-enabled carousel [Video]

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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A link to the video below was left in the comment section of my recent ASHP Midyear 2012 post. The video features a SencorpWhite RFID MiniVert Carousel. Pretty cool use of RFID technology. Where would something like this fit in a pharmacy? Not really sure, but I can think of a few use cases that would make sense.

From the SencorpWhite site:

In the pharmacy setting, the integrated RFID provides two distinct operations –real-time put-and-pick verification and cycle counting –and so, the MicroVert allows stock transactions to be securely and accurately monitored without operator intervention. In addition, inventory can be audited on-demand in as little as 30 seconds.

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Health Robotics ASHP Midyear press release includes mention of RFID

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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I came across this press release yesterday. The press release is from Health Robotics, a company that builds and distributes automation and technology aimed squarely at the I.V. room. Their product line includes several robots designed for specialized I.V. room compounding, including i.v.STATION ONCO, i.v.STATION, CytoCare and TPNstation.

It looks like the company is taking advantage of recent events surrounding sterile I.V. preparation to promote the safety of robotic compounding. They will be presenting data from recent studies from various hospitals across U.S. This all makes sense. But what I found interesting was the quote from Gaspar DeViedma, Health Robotics’ EVP.

“… I invite all ASHP attendees to compare and contrast our company’s track record now yielding streamlined robotic “live” installations within 60 to 90 days from purchase order; new RFID solutions tracking temperature-controlled I.V. doses from the offsite sterile compounding sites to the hospital pharmacies, on to delivery carts and refrigerated cabinets and all the way to the patient; and finally to witness the new standards in Chemotherapy and Monoclonal Antibody Therapy IV Automation.”

The emphasis is mine. That part about RFID almost slipped past me when I first read it. RFID is gaining popularity in the pharmacy world. Health Robotics certainly has my attention. I’m curious to see what they’re up to. I hope to have an opportunity to visit their booth at Midyear. I’ll keep you posted.

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NFC & RFID with Android [Slide deck from SlideShare]

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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I came across this presentation while surfing the SlideShare superhighway of information. It gives a nice little overview of both RFID and NFC technologies, including hardware, software, and potential uses. It also provides information on how to use the Android SDK to build NFC enabled applications. Thinking about giving it a go.

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Next generation smart hospital [video from 2009]

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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The video below is from 2009 shows some pretty cool uses for RFID (smart card).

Things I found interesting:

  • Geotagging your parking location [~0:30]. You ever forget where you park? Happens to me all the time when I travel.
  • Some of the software shown in the video [~2:00 min] was developed by Microsoft, including simple things like Windows and PowerPoint. Why don’t we hear the boys in Redmond weighing in more on healthcare software?
  • “Automatic payment machine” [~2:25] outside the exam room. Hey, pay on your way out. And when you’re done paying you can have your prescription [~2:40]. When you print the prescription it’s also electronically submitted to the pharmacy of your choice.
  • The amenities found in the VIP rooms [~3:30].
  • Use of RFID tags on medication (chemotherapy) labels [~4:23]
  • Web-based healthcare information [~5:25]
  • Anticoagulant results available to patients from the comfort of their own internet browser [~6:15], among other pertinent information.

You can read more about the “u-Severence” system in this 2010 article in Healthcare Informatics Research.

Categories: RFID

RFID-based solution for med trays

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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This is pretty cool use of RFID technology. The concept isn’t new to me, but it is the first time I’ve seen it in practice. The ability to track lot and expiration in real-time is a great advantage when compared to barcoding.

RFID Journal: “The pharmacy department of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), a 750-bed hospital located in Baltimore, is employing an RFID-based solution to aid in the stocking of medication kits transported around the hospital for use with patients in the event of emergencies. Thanks to the technology, provided by RFID startup firm Kit Check, the hospital knows what was loaded onto each tray to form a crash-cart kit, as well as which medications were used and which are approaching their expiration dates. In addition, the facility has reduced the amount of time employees must spend loading each emergency medication tray, from approximately 20 minutes down to less than 5 minutes.”

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Infographic for future of RFID

Posted on by Jerry Fahrni
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Found this little jewel over at the ThinkMagic website.

According to the commentary: “There is no doubt that over the next decade, RFID systems will become an integral part of the consumer and business experience. The convergence of wireless technologies will be augmented by RFID systems. The development of passive RFID as part of this platform will be driven by the potential to measure, report and monetize a growing number of transactions in the physical world.  Purpose-built systems will incorporate passive sensors and computational systems will emerge.  In certain applications, it is hard to imagine everyday physical objects without “built-in” RFID.” – RFID is one of those technologies that should be used more in healthcare, but isn’t. It’s inexplicable.
Read more …

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