Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
15
Patient Safety Management: RFID
Technology to Improve Emergency
Room Medi
cal Care Quality
Chia-Chen Chao and Wen-Yuan Jen
CoNTENTS
15.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 324
15.2 Mobile Information System and RFID.................................................. 325
15.2.1 Mobile Medical Care Information System.............................. 325
15.2.2 RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) ................................... 325
15.3 Emergency Room Problems: Case Description ................................... 327
15.4 ER-RFID Information System................................................................. 328
15.4.1 ER-RFID Information System Workflow 328
15.4.2 Monitor Triage Patient's Waiting Time in
Emergency Room .................................................................... 329
15.4.2.1 The Categories of the RFID Wristband .................. 329
15.4.2.2 The Alerting Mechanism of Monitored
Waiting Time ............................................................. 332
15.4.3 Monitor the Treatment Process of the Emergency Room..... 334
15.4.3.1 Monitor Treatment Process...................................... 334
15.4.3.2 The Alerting Mechanism of Monitored
Treatment Process ..................................................... 335
15.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 336
15.5.1 Managerial Implications ........................................................... 336
References............................................................................................................. 337
Yearly, 44,000 to 98,000 patients die, $17 to $29 billion are lost due to treatment
errors in the United States. Although the accuracy of the numbers has been
challenged, medical disasters caused by treatment errors are serious. Many
problems arise in emergency room operations such as severely ill patients
waiting too long to receive treatment, unprofessional staff operations,
improper drugs, injections, volume of anesthetics, surgeries, and so on.
These drawbacks threaten emergency room medical care quality and endan-
ger patient safety. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO) urged that medical institutions pursue patient safety.
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