The University of Tennessee (UT) Medical Center, in Knoxville, plans to expand its use of a radio frequency identification
system for tracking equipment trays and consumables within all of its
36 operating rooms. The solution, known as Continuum OR, was designed by
health-care products company DeRoyal Industries, also based in
Knoxville, in partnership with the UT Medical Center. Five of the
hospital's ORs are already using the technology to track every item used
for each surgery, based on a reading of the RFID tag
on that item's wrapper as the tagged packaging is thrown into a trash
bin. The UT Medical Center is also considering the use of fixed and
handheld readers to perform inventory counts of medical supplies stored
on shelves in its operating rooms, and to record which surgical supplies
are being used on each patient.
Read entire RFiD Journal Article here.