Enabling RFID Technology in Irish Hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals represent a significant part of healthcare systems and account for no less than 60% of the entire healthcare service in most of developed countries. Therefore, improving service in hospitals is an important element to the process of healthcare reform. Better use of resources, more consistent quality, and a higher service level are the keys to rationalise the huge expenditure in healthcare systems due to higher growth in demand. Even though massive spending has been directed towards hospital improvement in Ireland, services provided in Irish hospitals are ranked relatively low comparing to the other European countries. Growth of population, aging, European Union regulations, and demanding patients place more pressure on healthcare researchers to provide innovation solutions for Irish hospitals. In the last two decades, the use of technology had a significant impact on hospital performance in terms of responsiveness, quality, and management practices. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been successfully implemented in a number of hospital systems in many developed countries. It is an emerging technology for applications such as managing and tracking patients, equipment, and drugs. Integrating RFID technology into hospital systems allows a dramatic enhancement in hospital efficiency and effectiveness measures to happen. This paper gives a comprehensive review on the up-to-date applications of RFID technology in hospital systems. It includes a classification of RFID applications at different areas of hospitals. Inclusive analysis of the impact of RFID implementation on the overall performance of the hospitals is presented. As new technology, this paper looks into the challenges and problems facing the management in employing the technology. Recommendations on potential impact of using RFID in Irish hospitals are discussed.