Using RFID to Track Healthcare Equipment

The security of medical devices is paramount to a safe and reliable healthcare service.  It has to work across all facilities and locations in a hospital network—nationally or globally. And it must be easy to manage for all users, such as hospital staff, clinicians, patients and IT. RFID healthcare asset tracking is the answer.

RFID solution is similar to using barcodes or QR codes to monitor the movement of assets but with RFID asset tracking software in healthcare, you can unlock greater levels of automation, transparency, and control. RFID asset tracking enables you to audit, manage and track assets with minimal risks and enhanced operations. No matter the size or type of industry your business belongs to, the benefits of using RFID to track assets remain the same: reduce costs, increase asset visibility, and maximise workplace efficiency.

Discrete asset tags that stay out of plain sight and harm’s way can be critical for medical equipment that experiences high usage. One of the great advantages of RFID in healthcare is that it does not need a line of sight to detect the tag. This means that you can have a tag that remains hidden. At the same time, when performing a stock check of assets, the RFID reader is still able to detect the tag.

Not only are you able to track the whereabouts and value of assets with RFID tracking but you can also digitise the asset’s history. This can prove essential in a busy and fast-paced healthcare environment where assets have multiple and changing users. Users can add attachments to each asset’s digital profile where they are safely stored and preserved.

With RFID hospital asset tracking you can quickly and easily retrieve a pdf report of your complete asset register whenever you need to. Create unique reports to assist with auditing your high-value collections. The location of each asset can be recorded and updated simply by scanning the asset’s tag. This means you’ll have full visibility of where your assets are.

Healthcare RFID tags embedded in garments and linen reduce manual handling, increasing hygiene levels and improving infection control; provide accurate wash count records helping to predict the end-of-life date for each textile and thus to plan purchases carefully; offer visibility into inventories, avoiding delays in day-to-day non-stop garment availability.

Tagging and tracking your high-value assets helps to lower the risk of theft, loss and unauthorised usage. Healthcare RFID tags create a greater theft deterrent, keeping your assets safe no matter where they are. And, thanks to asset profiles, any time an asset is scanned you can see who is responsible for it. The increased visibility and accountability and a greater peace of mind when your high-value collections are on the move.

Regarding healthcare industry tools—RFID is a revolutionary one. With it, clinics can optimise operations, increase patient safety, and cut expenses. Healthcare RFID solutions find wide and diverse applications, from tracking surgical tools to monitoring patient movement.

Tracking surgical instruments is one of the most important fields in which RFID influences healthcare.

One operation uses hundreds of tools and devices in crowded operating rooms. Compliance with laws and patient safety depends on every item being counted for and sterilised following surgery.

Here’s how healthcare RFID solutions help:

• Every surgical tool has an RFID chip loaded with its own ID, usage record, and sterilisation status.
• Before and after operations, RFID readers scan tools to automatically update records, guaranteeing no tools are left inside the patient or missing.
• With audit reports created in a matter of seconds, hospitals can more easily meet legal obligations.

Key Benefit:

• Improved patient safety by reducing the risk of retained surgical items.
• Time saved in audits and compliance checks.

Managing patient flow presents challenges for hospitals in general, particularly in emergency departments, where delays could be fatal. RFID healthcare solutions, however, make constant insight into patient movement possible, helping staff members clear obstacles and maximise treatment delivery.

How It Works:

• Arriving patients receive RFID-enabled wristbands.
• RFID readers automatically log their location as they pass across several departments.
• On a dashboard, staff members can track patient development to guarantee that patients are seen in the correct sequence and that none gets lost in the system.

Key Benefit:

• Reduced wait times and improved patient satisfaction.
• Better resource allocation, ensuring that staff and equipment are always in the right place.

Errors in medications can lead to life-threatening scenarios. Actually it is one of the most common causes of harm in clinics. RFID solutions take this burden from medical teams easily. 

How RFID Helps:

• RFID tags on medicines mark important information: drug name, dosage, expiration date, and patient prescription data.
• At drug dispensing machines, RFID readers confirm that the accurate medication is given to the proper patient at the right moment.
• The system records every transaction automatically to guarantee a compliance audit trail.

Key Benefit:

• Reduced medication errors, improving patient safety.
• Inventory control, ensuring that medications are always available when needed.

Sensitive data and valuable equipment are handled in hospitals thus access control is absolutely important. Operating rooms, pharmacies, and data centres are among limited areas that only authorised staff members can access, thanks to healthcare RFID solutions.

How It Works:

• Staff are issued RFID access cards that grant them entry to specific areas based on their role.
• RFID locks automatically log each access event, creating a detailed record of who entered and when.
• In case of unauthorised access attempts, the system can trigger alerts to security staff.

Key Benefit:

• Improved security, protecting sensitive patient data and high-value assets.
• Detailed access logs for audit and compliance purposes.

Especially in large hospitals, controlling medical supplies can be a difficult task. Real-time inventory level visibility made possible by RFID in healthcare guarantees that hospitals always have the supplies they need without running out or overstocking.

How It Works:

• Attached to medical supplies, RFID tags track their whereabouts and use.
• RFID readers automatically update inventory records as supplies are used, so lowering the demand for hand stock checks.
• When supplies near their expiration date or when stock levels are low, the system can set off alarms.

Key Benefit:

• Automated inventory updates, reducing manual labour.
• Cost savings by avoiding overstocking and eliminating expired items.

Hospitals must act fast in emergencies. By means of real-time tracking of available resources, patients, and staff, RFID in healthcare helps emergency response teams effectively manage significant numbers of patients.

How It Works:

• RFID wristbands tracking patients’ location and treatment status are provided to those in mass casualty events.
• Real-time patient flow monitoring in hospitals helps to guarantee that critical cases get priority.
• Tracking the availability of emergency equipment, RFID readers guarantee that it is constantly ready for use.

Key Benefit:

• Faster triage and treatment, improving survival rates.
• Real-time data to coordinate resources more effectively.

In healthcare, compliance and data security are critical priorities. Hospitals and clinics are required to follow strict regulations, such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the U.S. and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe, to protect patient privacy and ensure accurate recordkeeping. However, staying compliant can be a daunting task, especially with the growing volume of digital records, connected medical devices, and medication data.

RFID in healthcare is emerging as a powerful tool to automate compliance processes and secure patient data, making it easier for hospitals to meet regulatory requirements while improving operational efficiency. Here’s how RFID medical equipment management providers stay audit-ready, secure patient information, and ensure accountability.

One of the biggest challenges healthcare providers face is ensuring they have detailed, accurate records to present during regulatory audits. Hospitals must track who accessed patient records, when medical devices were used, and how medications were dispensed. Traditional, manual systems often fail to provide complete audit trails, making healthcare organisations vulnerable to penalties or fines for non-compliance.

RFID in healthcare automates this process by tracking interactions in real-time and creating tamper-proof logs for audit purposes. RFID tags on medical devices, patient records, and medications ensure that hospitals can generate compliance reports with just a few clicks, reducing administrative burdens and human errors.

For example:

• A hospital using RFID tags on infusion pumps can track every interaction, from who last used the device to when it was last maintained.
• RFID readers at data storage areas automatically log who accessed sensitive patient records and when, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access.
• In pharmacies, RFID tags on medications track dispensing activities, ensuring patients receive the correct prescriptions and dosages.

With RFID in healthcare, hospitals no longer need to manually compile data for audits, saving time and money while ensuring complete compliance with regulations.

Key Benefit:

• Reduces the risk of human error in compliance reporting.
• Automates audit trails, making hospitals audit-ready at all times.
• Improves accuracy and accountability, reducing exposure to fines.

Patient data privacy is one of the most sensitive areas in healthcare compliance. Regulations like HIPAA and GDPR require hospitals to ensure that only authorised individuals can access patient information and that every access event is logged.

Traditional access control systems, like manual sign-in sheets or password-protected databases, can be vulnerable to breaches. RFID in healthcare offers a more secure and efficient way to manage access to sensitive patient data.

Here’s how it works:

• Hospitals issue RFID access cards to staff, granting them access to specific areas based on their role and clearance level.
• RFID readers installed at entrances to restricted areas or digital record systems automatically log who accessed what and when.
• If someone attempts unauthorised access, the system can trigger real-time alerts to security staff, helping hospitals prevent data breaches before they happen.

Real-World Example:
At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, implementing RFID-based access control significantly improved the security of patient records. By limiting access to data storage rooms and medical devices, the hospital reduced the risk of data breaches and unauthorised access attempts.

Key Benefit:

• Improves patient data security, ensuring compliance with HIPAA and GDPR.
• Creates detailed logs of who accessed patient data, ensuring accountability.
• Prevents unauthorised access, reducing the risk of data breaches.

The growing use of connected medical devices, often referred to as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), has introduced new cybersecurity risks in healthcare. Devices like infusion pumps, patient monitors, and ventilators are often connected to hospital networks, transmitting real-time patient data.

While these devices improve patient care, they also create vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to access sensitive information or disrupt hospital operations.

RFID in healthcare helps secure these devices by:

• Tracking their location and usage history, ensuring they are always used by authorised staff.
• Detecting unusual activity, such as a device being moved to an unauthorised location or connected to an unfamiliar network.
• Sending alerts if a device is accessed without authorisation allows hospitals to respond quickly to potential threats.

Real-World Example:A German hospital implemented RFID tracking to secure their IoMT devices and reduced cybersecurity incidents by 35%. By ensuring that only authorised staff could access connected medical devices, the hospital improved both patient safety and data security.

Key Benefit:

• Prevents tampering with connected medical devices.
• Improves cybersecurity, reducing the risk of data breaches.
• Tracks device usage to ensure accountability and compliance.

Preparing for compliance audits can be a time-consuming and stressful process for healthcare administrators. Traditional methods involve manually compiling records of device usage, patient interactions, and medication administration, which can take days or even weeks to complete.

With RFID in healthcare, hospitals can automate compliance reporting, making the process faster and more accurate.

Here’s how:

• RFID systems track and log interactions in real-time, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
• Administrators can generate reports with a few clicks, covering everything from device maintenance schedules to access logs.
• Reports can be exported as PDFs and submitted to auditors within minutes, reducing the stress and workload associated with compliance.

Key Benefit:

• Saves time by automating compliance reporting.
• Improves report accuracy, reducing the risk of errors.
• Keeps hospitals audit-ready, ensuring compliance with regulations at all times.

RFID in healthcare gives users access to manage and control security, offering flexibility and convenience. Rely on future-proof healthcare asset tracking technology with powerful software and hardware for an optimal healthcare access control solution. Use itemit’s award-winning fixed RFID asset tracking functionality for full, off-the-shelf automation. itemit is your one-stop shop for RFID readers, tags and software. Get everything you need to manage your readers, collect tag data and deliver timely information.

To find out more about itemit’s RFID asset tracking solutions and how they can help you, you can contact our team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start your 14-day free trial.

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