RFID, reducing wear and tear on nurse walking shoes

In case you have not heard, RFID is being used widely throughout the hospital industry. There are hand-hygiene compliance systems, surgical inventory management systems, and equipment location systems among many others. Celebration Health, a hospital in Florida, is now using a combination RFID and Wi-Fi real-time location system (RTLS) to track nurse movement.

These nurses wear an active tag on their badge or belt which communicates with the Wi-Fi nodes throughout the facility. In addition, Low Frequency (LF) exciters within each room allow the RTLS to pinpoint exactly which room the nurse is in.

While this system might sound like an over-bearing management strategy for catching nurses in some act of laziness, it is actually quite the opposite. The ID tags are made anonymous, though the system could be used to track specific nurses if desired. The hospital management merely wants more data on how nurses do their jobs day after day.

The principle behind the investment is that nurses spend much of their shift walking from place to place. While this is great for exercise, it is bad for efficiency. If the layout of the hospital can be optimized for reduced travel time, the efficiency of each nurse will increase. For example, if nurses constantly have to travel across the hospital wing to obtain some piece of equipment or medicine, another place of distribution should be strategically added.

I find this idea intriguing mostly because I have a degree in business administration. I have heard case studies of how minimal changes in warehouses can greatly increase efficiency. I know the power of this information; and now, using mostly their existing Wi-Fi system, hospitals can gain this information to make significant progress in their work efficiencies.

This is great for not only the hospital management, but for Americans as a whole. If the cost of healthcare can be reduced, the cost of insurance can be reduced. This reduces the strain on the American consumers’ paycheck which can cause an organic increase in spending. With an increase in spending comes an increase in economic activity. You see where this is going.

Now I am not saying that this system alone can turn around the recession. I am saying that, through RFID, hospital costs can be lowered, which could be a major first step in allowing consumers to begin buying once again. Of course, this is overly-simplifying the matter, but the concept is still the same.

If you are interested in lowering costs in your hospital, consider Wyze Scan™, an RFID surgical inventory management system which can greatly reduce costs, increase profitability, and reduce risk throughout any surgery room. If you have questions concerning the system, call Ron Pulvermacher at 608-834-1661. This system will greatly increase your hospital’s bottom line. Click here to find out more.

Many thanks to Jesse Therrien for the photo.