Siemens IT Solutions and Services introduces RFID in the operating room

Siemens IT Solutions and Services introduces RFID in the operating room

Together with Munich’s Klinikum Rechts der Isar [University Hospital on the Right-hand Side of the River Isar], Siemens IT Solutions and Services is testing ways of using RFID in the operating room. Currently, the two institutions want to take a closer look at two sample scenarios: RFID tags for marking sponges used during operations and ID tags for the operating team itself. The tests started in March and are scheduled to be completed by the fall of this year.

An operation requires all sorts of equipment, textiles and accessories, such as scalpels, scissors, swabs and sponges. All the medical instruments must be properly disinfected and in their proper place in the operating room, and there must always be plenty of scrubs, swabs and sponges close to hand. With RFID, the entire equipment used for an operation can be scanned, identified and documented. In an initial test project, the sponges and swabs are equipped with RFID tags, which are then read in the operating room by a stationary RFID reader. From the moment they are removed from storage to their final disposal, they are traced seamlessly with the help of RFID and can no longer go missing.

The second RFID test project scans the individual staff members as they enter the operating room. Each team member affixes a card containing an RFID transponder before he or she starts to scrub down. The card does not contain any personal data, only the wearer’s role, such as “surgeon” or “anesthesiologist”. When the operation is over and the team members leave the operating room, they hand the cards back in. All information ? such as the operation’s progress or materials being used ? can be tracked on the OR planning monitor. In addition, the system logs the start and end times of each operation, thus enabling its duration to be recorded accurately and helping ensure that OR capacities are used to their fullest.

Read the complete Press Release