RFID – A vision of the future
Radio-frequency identification, or RFID as it is more commonly known, is an emerging technology that uses tiny computer chips smaller than a grain of sand to allow items to be wirelessly tracked. This can enable, through integration with associated databases, all kinds of user benefits. For example, from determining the location of critical items to perhaps one day being used beyond the enterprise space where smart appliances do the thinking for us. It is predicted that a washing machine will be able to select its own wash cycle based on information contained in the RFID tags embedded in the clothing to be washed. Although this may sound like science fiction it is just one example of how RFID could improve lives. At present however, the technology is predominantly used in enterprise supply chain management to transform the efficiency of inventory tracking, but that might all be about to change.
An Olympian task
RFID has received considerable media attention recently, in part because the Beijing Olympics represented one of the first significant tests for the technology outside the enterprise space. Although major industries have used RFID installations for years, RFID had not been used on such a scale for an international event until Beijing. The Chinese authorities deployed RFID in the ticketing system, which permitted people entry into the Olympic stadiums and arenas hosting the various sporting events. The RFID chips embedded in the tickets did not contain any personal information of the holders, but were instead linked to a remote database which enabled authentication to take place. The primary aim was to combat fraudulent tickets, assist check-in and generally help the Games run as smoothly as possible; no mean feat when the total number of attendees, including spectators, athletes and the press was estimated to be in the region of 3 million.
RFID was also used in the Olympic food management system to help meet the challenge of feeding almost 10,700 international athletes across 31 venues. RFID assisted here in keeping a close eye on food production, processing and delivery. By tagging supplies and deliveries the organisers could see exactly what supplies were needed and where. No doubt the success of both systems will be scrutinised ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, but for now it appears that RFID has played a vital role in helping China put on a spectacular show.
Maximising resources
The application of RFID technology goes far beyond ensuring the smooth running of major public events. It is also invaluable in helping organisations get the most from their existing resources. In the current economic climate this is becoming increasingly important. One of the sectors leading the way in this is healthcare. Often predominantly publicly funded, healthcare trusts which must ensure maximum return on their budgets have recognised the value of RFID tagging and are using it to help improve the quality of patient care in a number of ways. Any single hospital will have a variety of medical equipment and devices, much of it costly and all of it necessary. By RFID tagging this equipment, its location and status can be quickly ascertained, eliminating ‘lost’ equipment and ensuring medical staff can maximise its use. Similarly, by being able to closely monitor the use of bed space and operating theatres, the time patients spend waiting for admittance can also be reduced as fewer resources are left unused or vacant.
Minimising error
Once a patient is admitted and receiving care it is vital that this is of the best possible quality. As patients are moved around to attend tests or change wards to better meet their needs, RFID can again be used to assist treatment. Any single patient may be seen by several different healthcare professionals during their hospital stay which introduces the potential for human error in administering treatment. This can be minimised by RFID tagging the patient’s records and incorporating the medications prescribed to the patient in this. Then even if the patient is moved the chances of being given incorrect medication is significantly reduced, if not entirely eradicated because the patient’s full medical history and notes which provide a comprehensive inventory of what treatment the patient requires are either retrieved from a remote database that the RFID chip links to, or recalled from the chip itself. This principal has been extended to blood, a vital commodity in life saving treatment. The ability to locate blood by type is often time sensitive but RFID tagging allows this to be done seamlessly.
Damovo has already been involved with the implementation of RFID technology at two major healthcare trusts and expects to see it adopted with increasing frequency in future as more trusts upgrade their wireless infrastructures and begin to reap the full benefits of what this will bring, from the ability to deploy RFID to cheaper voice calls.
Companies and Markets, a market intelligence company, published a comprehensive report at the end of last year that analysed the use of RFID globally. Following extensive research it was concluded that the item-level tagging market, such as that detailed above is forecast to grow at a rate of over 55 per cent year on year between 2006 and 2016. So, as RFID becomes increasingly mainstream, it will not only be healthcare authorities that must seriously consider its adoption. As they grow to realise the potential business benefits, other industries, from fashion to transport are set to embrace RFID as Beijing has done for the 2008 Olympics.
For more information on RFID, contact Paul Meakin, Portfolio Manager.
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