RFID Applications in E-Healthcare - E-Healthcare Systems and Wireless Communications - page 95

rithms (Ilie-Zudor, Kemeny, Egri & Monostori,
2006, p.32).
The above mentioned are just few of the many
solutions that have been worked out to counter
attack the different issues discussed in the earlier
sections of this chapter. As you read, develop-
ers, researchers and organizations interested in
Radio Frequency Identification are exploiting the
technology and figuring out ways to eradicate the
different threats that it puts forth for the good of
the technology and the populace.

and nurses who work in emergency wards,
to access vital medical and emergency
contact information which can help them
to treat the patient accurately and quickly
during an emergency.
◦ VeriChip is also having talks with

a certain Alzheimer Patients Care
Center based in Florida, US where
the Health Link implantable chip is
being used on those suffering from
Alzheimer and other forms of demen-
tia, enabling the staff to have an easy
access to those patient's identifica-
tion and medical information. In May
2009, VeriChip had also announced
that it was planning to develop a
surveillance and point-of-care sen-
sor system with the help of RFID,
which will efficiently detect and iden-
tify presence of any biological threat
such as influenza virus (Anonymous,
2009).

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Healthcare is an important sector that can acquire
great benefits from the use of Radio Frequency
Identification. A number of applications have
been developed in this field for the good of the
patients as well as the healthcare facilities, some
of which have been discussed in the former sec-
tions this chapter. As the technology evolves, more
companies seem interested in RFID and ready to
exploit it firsthand.
Several institutions, universities, research
centers, laboratories, software solution companies
and developers, all over the world are carrying
out research to unfold new areas of application
of this 'invaluable and enabling' technology in
healthcare and many other sectors such as:

• The Innovision Research and Technology,

which is a UK based company is currently
working on tiny RFID tags that can be put
on medical equipment including catheters
and luer connectors, so that the tags can
send out an alarm if a wrong catheter is
attached to the wrong tube (Anonymous,
2005, p.2).

• According to a report, many companies

and institutions are trying to create 'home-
centered healthcare systems' using RFID
technology, which will enable doctors to
monitor patients from their homes itself.
To enable this, sensors would be at the pa-
tient's residence which will collect clinical
data from the patient and send it to family
members and healthcare experts allowing
them to take needful action at the earliest
(Anonymous, 2009).

• VeriChip Corporation, a provider of RFID

systems for healthcare and patient related
needs to identify, locate and protect people
and assets, has recently began to market its
VeriMed Health Link system which will be
used to identify patients who are brought to
emergency rooms and are unable to com-
municate with hospital personnel. The sys-
tem makes use of the VeriChip; the only
FDA approved human-implantable RFID
microchip. VeriMed will provide a con-
nection/link between the patients and their
personal health record and allow doctors

From Table 3, it is clear that, as of the year
2010 onwards, the healthcare industry plans to