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Running Head: RFID RESEARCH IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

RFID Research in the Health Sector
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Abstract
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has proven to be of great significance in recent years.
Problems faced in various sectors of the economy, after adoption of RFID, have counted their
gains with reduction in losses and improvement in results. In the Health Care sector for instance,
supply chain management has been much of a problem especially in delivery of services. RFID
has made most of the difference. The impact from adopting RFID as a solution in this sector is
great with greater service delivery. Medical supplies have become easier to track as well as
medical equipment. This way, efficiency has been easily noted and costs have gone down. The
hospital, therefore, is able to deal with the most pressing ad important matters at hand. With the
implementation of this system, theft becomes a bygone. Safety of the patients is also becoming a
guarantee with an assurance of effective in treatment as well. However, in spite of amazing
results from its adoption, a few issues from the use of RFID have also been experienced
including great hospital expenditures and some competing strategies.

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Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................5
Overview of an RFID system ........................................................................................................6
Basics of RFID components .....................................................................................................6
Advances in RFID ...................................................................................................................8
Industry Standards ....................................................................................................................9
Benefits/Disadvantages of RFID ...................................................................................................9
Security concerns/practices .........................................................................................................11
Impact of implementation of RFID ............................................................................................13
References .....................................................................................................................................15

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List of Figures
Figure 1: RFID System components………………………………………………………………6

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A. An Introduction– specific description of the business problem that the RFID system
will be used to improve or enhance.

Radio Frequency Identification is a system that is slowly being adopted into different sectors
of the economy, including the health sector. Its effectiveness is required especially when it
comes to matters to do with supply chain management within the hospital premises. Pertaining to
this, issues to be addressed include the costs that hospitals incur as a result of inefficiencies that
result from supply chain management services as well as poor service delivery.

These two issues broken down include the performance of the hospital clinically, the safety
of the patients, theft of medical supplies as well as equipment (Watfa, 2012). These have been
the persistent issues that hospitals have been forced to face but all that changes with the
introduction of RFID technology which will help improve the delivery of services by hospitals
and the saving on costs. The economy too, improves with these changes.

How the RFID system works is that there exist tags that can be scanned to help with the
location of various hospital items, data on their shipping, the date of manufacture, what these
items consist of and the number of orders made on the items. This way, tracking of these goods
or items can be done easily. Identification of the goods can also be done in a timely manner with
time and cost saving. Managing hospital inventory is another purpose carried out by RFID.
Tracking can be in form of transfusion blood, patients since they have tags on them as well as
equipment.

RFID is an effective system to have in hospitals since there is usually dire need in ensuring
that products needed are delivered in good time and ensuring that monitoring of the hospital

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inventory helps keep the hospital operating at lower costs so that there is effectiveness in the
hospital system. This is enough drive to ensure the adoption of RFID is done.

B. An overview of the chosen RFID system including:
a. Basics of the RFID components that were chosen

Figure 1: RFID System components

There are various components in an RFID system to be used in the health sector. There exists
an RFID tag in a system. Tags are also called transponders. Depending on the RFID system,
there may be one or two tags. This tag consists of two components, that is, a silicon integrated
circuit as well as one or more antennae. The silicon integrated circuit has the purpose of
information storage regarding the item in question and processing of this information. The
antenna is used for the transmission of signals, back and forth, as feedback for any queries from
the reader. History on any activities that the tag has performed in the past are contained in a chip
in this tag such that it shows the previous locations.

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It also shows the unique identification code and the unique serial number. RRFID tags are
picked based on their effectiveness to get the job done based on the specifications of the job and
the industry, the health sector in this case. The cost is also taken into account. Tags come in
different shapes and sizes depending on how they are going to be put into use or where they are
going to be embedded. Their complexity is also based on their use and the environment within
which they are going to be used. Tags can be categorized according to read/write ability, power
source (passive and active) and radio frequency.

Another component is the RFID reader. It helps with the receiving of information on the
RFID tag. It is also referred to as the manipulator (IRMA, 2017). The presence of the tag and the
reader helps with the communication so that information can be accessed by the person in charge
of ensuring that the hospital inventory...