• RFID Technology and Its Main Purpose in Healthcare

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RFID technology is used for three main purposes in healthcare:

1.  tracking, 
2. inventory management, 
3. and validation. 

These purposes can provide benefits such as cost savings and improved productivity.

•  Tracking: RFID technology can track a product from the supply chain to the clinical workflow. It can also link a product to a specific patient and clinician. This can reduce the time and effort involved in locating or tracking items.

•  Inventory management: RFID technology can monitor usage patterns and stock levels throughout an organization. It can answer questions such as what, how, who, where, and when regarding inventory. This can help manage patient inventories and ensure the availability of the right assets at the right time and place.

•  Validation: RFID technology can verify that an action has taken place or that the desired item is on hand. This can reduce medical errors, check productivity, and help create documentation for administrative and audit purposes. The most important validation function is to confirm that the patient and the treatment are correct and appropriate.

Studies have shown that RFID technology can improve patient safety and reduce costs and medication errors. For example, RFID technology can help nurses to quickly identify patients and their medicines, provide automated medication verification for inpatient doses, generate medication evidence for medical dispute resolution, support a paperless pathology requisition system, and confirm the correct site and patient for specimen labeling. RFID technology has great potential for enhancing quality and efficiency of care in the healthcare sector.