RFID, QR Codes and Healthcare Communications

We are proud to display a guest post by Evelyn Anne. She is the Marketing Communication Specialist at MDnetSolutions. MDnetSolutions provides “a patient care management system aimed at improving patient satisfaction and reducing healthcare costs throughout the continuum of care.” Their solutions include medical call centers, a patient care navigator, as well as marketing services. To learn more, visit their website at www.mdnetsolutions.com. 

The idea of using RFID in healthcare is not new.  For the past few years, hospitals and practices of all sizes and specialties have been starting to use this convenient coding system to transmit all kinds of information, from tracking patient location to monitoring pharmaceuticals.  Experts expect the use of RFID technology to increase as more healthcare professionals move toward the use of electronic medical records (EMR). However, can this technology be used before a patient even gets in the door?  Are there other practical healthcare applications for RFID technology outside of the hospital or doctor’s office? Yes there are, and the future of RFID in healthcare is very exciting.

One alternative form of communication, the QR (quick response) code, has become increasingly popular among the growing number of smart phone users.  The QR code is basically a series of lines and pixels in a square shape that can be placed on anything from a business card to a television advertisement.  Smart phone users scan the code using any one of a number of free applications to translate it into multiple forms of information.  For healthcare professionals, this opens to door to a multitude of uses in patient communications.

While the most frequent use of the QR code is to embed a website’s address, the codes can actually activate a number of different applications on a standard phone, from automatically setting up text messages to mapping out directions.  Here are just a few creative examples of how doctors and hospitals are using these handy codes.

Interactive introductions- QR codes can be placed on a business card or print advertisement where they will automatically take the viewer to an online video introduction of a hospital, practice or hospital.  These videos can serve as short introductions or longer, more in-depth tours of facilities. 

Appointment reminders- Imagine if, instead of hoping patients will remember to keep their scheduled appointments, healthcare staff members could simply give them a code that would automatically add the appointment to their calendar, and remind them when it’s time to go to their appointment.

Patient testimonials- By placing QR codes in exam rooms and next to the door upon a patient’s exit, patients can be automatically directed to a Facebook page or other social website to leave their own recommendation or testimonial.

Emergency directions- A hospital or emergency clinic can post a QR code on their website or printed material which will automatically launch the user’s cell phone mapping function, giving them direct, step by step directions from their current location to the emergency facility. 

With these uses as a spring board, creative healthcare professionals are thinking up new and innovative ways of using modern communication technology both inside and outside of the hospitals. These applications would allow healthcare professionals to help their patients live safer, healthier lives even when they aren’t under a doctor’s direct supervision.