Improving mobile device management

Tracking and effectively managing high volumes of mobile medical devices is a problem facing many hospitals today. Some Trusts have set up a medical equipment library (MEL) to create a central pool of managed equipment, while others have contracted out this role. Whatever model is employed, however, there is an obligation to ensure that all equipment is clean and fit for safe patient use. Research undertaken by Cisco1 showed that nurses waste significant amounts of time searching for devices. The research found that 85% of nurses spend up to 60 minutes per shift searching for supplies including wheelchairs and infusion pumps. Moreover, the average hospital loses as much as 15% of its critical assets every year, leading to unnecessary costs relating to staff time spent searching for equipment, as well as purchasing new and renting additional equipment.2 With costs becoming an increasing concern, hospitals can no longer afford to buy new devices simply because the existing supply is lost or misplaced. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) can offer a viable way of managing mobile medical devices using radio waves to identify, authenticate, track and trace mobile medical devices. The technology can also gather and store information about individual devices and their environment. It consists of two main components – a tag which is attached to the device and a mobile reader. Although still a relatively recent introduction to the healthcare sector, RFID is ranked as the tenth most innovative technology of the past 25 years.3 The technology is mature in retail, transportation, logistics and other sectors with successful implementations now able to provide a realistic understanding of its capabilities. RAND Europe has described tracking medical devices as one of the most promising RFID healthcare applications.4 Figure 1 illustrates some typical applications for RFID technology in the hospital environment.

RFID benefits

The benefits of using RFID technology to track and manage mobile medical devices can be categorised into four key areas – cost reduction; improved quality of care; improved risk management and increased efficiency. Despite the potential advantages, there have been organisational and financial obstacles to the deployment of RFID in healthcare. However, early adopters of the technology are now able to offer solid evidence of the benefits of RFID, making the business case for adopting RFID much easier to present. Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, for example, has employed RFID technology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital MEL. In November 2011, Addenbrooke’s MEL made the decision to trial the technology to help it meet the challenge of managing thousands of mobile medical devices. The key challenges facing the MEL included: