Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
sometimes re-labeling is required (Kondoh
2007
). These defects place a burden on
practitioners.
In comparison to optical barcode technology, the RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) utilizes the characteristics of radio, which has the following
advantages: (1) The direction of an RFID reader does not have to exactly match
the IC tag, and it is readable even if there is shielding (noncontact authentication),
(2) RFIDs can read more information and more precisely than a barcode. Some IC
tags can also be written to or have write-once capability, (3) Multiple IC tags can be
read at the same time, (4) There is enough room in RFID for reading information so
automation of scanning materials is possible. In other words, the problems of
barcodes will be resolved by utilizing RFID's characteristics.
6.3.2 RFID Trials in Healthcare
Kondo et al. developed a medical PDA with RFID reader and a wristband that has
an IC tag built-in (Kondoh
2007
). They conducted a feasibility study at a medical
ward in 2004. Before medical treatment, the practitioners perform user authentica-
tion by scanning the IC tag in a staff identification card. Then, they scan the tag on
the medication and the patient's wristband to confirm that the drug matches the
order of the physician. As a result, injection related incidents decreased, and they
can expand the coverage to both blood transfusions and outpatient chemotherapy.
There is the case replacing the conventional barcode with IC tags. This study
showed that an IC tag has a higher input efficiency and more efficient treatment
than the cases with barcodes (Kondoh
2007
; Ota et al.
2008
).
One in 10,000 people are reported to have surgical instruments or gauze left
inside the body after an operation (Gawande et al.
2003
). The number of surgical
instruments used in one operation can be several hundred, depending on the opera-
tion. The nurse in an operating room has to count all instruments and to confirm that
no items are missing before, during, and after the surgery. The surgical instruments
are stored in a container and sterilized after irrigation. The distribution of
instruments to each container is also performed by manual labor, and approximately
2 % of distribution work may include the wrong items (Yamashita et al.
2009
).
The MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) mandates, via the
Amendment of Pharmaceutical Affairs Law of 2007, the safe management of
surgical instruments and setting the expiration date of instrument based on usage
count (Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare Pharmaceutical and Food Safety
Bureau Safety Division
2003
). This mandate aims to establish more effective
medical safety practices by changing maintenance management from a non-binding
guideline to a requirement (Akiyama
2007
b). However, a medical institution with
many surgeries often has 4,000-7,000 operations every year and manages more
than 100,000 instruments (Yamashita et al.
2009
). At present, no healthcare facility
has managed surgical instruments on a unit management basis. There is no evidence
available for surgery frequency and the failure rate of instrument counting.
