Korea's Kangnam CHA Hospital uses RFID at outpatient center to shorten waiting time

Cadi Scientific, news release, January 29, 2015:

Korea’s Kangnam CHA Hospital has deployed an intelligent queue management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) at its outpatient center. Every patient who registers at the center is issued an integrated active-passive RFID tag, which identifies the patient and provides the patient’s location. The patient is also assigned a locker, which can be locked or unlocked with the tag. On the basis of the patient’s location and through information provided on display panels installed at strategic locations in the center, the system guides the patient as he or she journeys through the center in such a way as to shorten the patient’s waiting time. This system was developed jointly by Korea’s information technology leader Choongwae IT and Singapore’s healthcare technology company Cadi Scientific.

Source:
http://www.cadi.com.sg/NewsEvents/List.aspx?type=news&year=2015

Daqing Women’s and Children’s Hospital in China rolls out SmartSense for wireless temperature monitoring, infant safety, and patient tracking

Cadi Scientific, news release, September 11, 2014:

In an effort to enhance patient safety and reduce nurses' workload, Daqing Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Heilongjiang, China, has rolled out the SmartSense infant safety system in its maternity ward and both the SmartSense temperature monitoring system and SmartSense patient tracking system in its pediatric ward. These systems use radio frequency identification (RFID), a wireless technology. The temperature monitoring system measures body temperature continuously, unobtrusively, and automatically, without disturbing the patient. The patient tracking system gives room-level accuracy for a patient’s location. The infant safety system matches a mother to her baby and ensures that the correct baby is always brought to the mother. It also prevents infant abduction by monitoring the movements of babies in real time, especially at unauthorized exits. These SmartSense systems were supplied by Cadi Scientific, a Singapore-based healthcare technology company.

Source:

http://www.cadi.com.sg/NewsEvents/Detail.aspx?type=news&year=2014&id=90

Note:
Daqing Women’s and Children’s Hospital refers to 大庆妇女儿童医院

Hanaro Medical Center in South Korea uses RFID to shorten waiting time and enhance patient experience

Cadi Scientific, news release, September 10, 2014:

Hanaro Medical Center in South Korea has rolled out an intelligent queue management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) at its health screening center. Every patient who registers at the center is issued an integrated active-passive RFID tag to identify the patient and provide the patient’s location. The patient is also assigned a locker, which can be locked or unlocked with the tag. Once the tag is issued, the system automatically places the patient in the queue and then guides the patient to the right destinations as he or she journeys through the center. In this way, the system not only helps to shorten patients’ waiting time but also helps to enhance patient experience.

The RFID system was supplied by Cadi Scientific, a Singapore company that designs and develops RFID solutions for use in healthcare. The total queue management solution was provided by Choongwae Information Technology, one of the most reliable system integrators and software vendors in the Korean healthcare industry.

Source:

http://www.cadi.com.sg/NewsEvents/Detail.aspx?type=news&year=2014&id=88

Thailand's Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital enhances infant safety by using RFID

Cadi Scientific newsletter, news article (summary), December 2013:

Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital, a leading healthcare facility in Bangkok, has deployed an RFID system to further enhance infant safety and to improve patient experience. The new system, developed by a Singapore Company, uses active RFID tags to automate the process of matching mothers and infants throughout their stay in the hospital. It also provides automated wireless location tracking and pairing verification; on-demand pairing verification is also available at the push of a button. The system provides clear audio and visual alerts at the nurses' workstations if any mismatch or unauthorized movement is detected, giving better security for the newborns and peace of mind for parents and caregivers.

To view the full article, please visit the following link:
http://www.cadi.com.sg/NewsEvents/Detail.aspx?type=news&year=2013&id=76

Samsung Medical Center improves health screening workflow by using RFID tags and mobile devices

Cadi Scientific, news release, October 24, 2013:

1.    Introduction

Samsung Medical Center (SMC) is a major healthcare facility in South Korea serving both local and international patients in a wide range of specialities. Established in 1994, it consists of a hospital and a cancer center. It has 2,000 beds and 1,300 doctors, and treats more than 8,000 patients a day. As part of its continuing mission to improve the nation’s health through the best medical service, advanced medical research, and development of outstanding medical personnel, SMC is constantly looking for new emerging technologies to improve the way it delivers healthcare. In 2012, the center embarked on a project to improve its health screening workflow.

2.    The problem

SMC offers health screening packages costing about one million Korean won (about USD1,000) each. Before the project, progress notes related to health screening were recorded on paper by hand and communications between staff members were carried out by passing these handwritten notes from one person to another. The workflow was not optimized and, as a result, sometimes it took more time than necessary to complete the screening.

3.    The solution

SMC deployed a wireless, radio frequency identification (RFID) system developed jointly by Choongwae Information Technology, an information technology leader in Korea's healthcare industry, and Cadi Scientific, a Singapore-based healthcare technology company.

Every new patient who registers at the health screening center will be issued an integrated active-passive RFID tag, which the patient will wear throughout the screening process. The patient will also be assigned a locker, which can be locked and unlocked with the RFID tag. As the patient journeys through the screening center, the system will automatically detect the location of the patient and respond accordingly. For example, when the patient enters a waiting area, the system will automatically add the patient to the queue and the wall-mounted information panel at the waiting area will automatically display information about the patient’s progress, such as the expected waiting time, the queue number, and instructions on what to do next. At the same time, the staff at the waiting area will know that the patient has arrived. At any time, the patient can also check his or her progress on a mobile phone by means of a smartphone app, and a staff member can retrieve patient information by scanning the RFID tag with a mobile device. Upon completion of the health screening, the tag will be returned to the screening center.

This RFID system has not only made the health screening workflow more efficient but also enhanced the experience of both patients and staff.

Source:
This report was derived from the presentation “Innovation of health check process using active RFID tag and mobile devices” given by Jung Soo Gabriele Bae of Choongwae Information Technology, Korea, on October 24, 2013, at the “Digital Healthcare Week 2013” event held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on October 21–24, 2013.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Changi General Hospital, and IHiS win Asia Pacific HIMSS Elsevier Award

Channel NewsAsia, news article (extract), October 22, 2013:

Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Changi General Hospital and IHiS — the Health Ministry's IT arm — have clinched the Asia Pacific HIMSS Elsevier Award for using innovative techniques to improve patient care.

One technique employed by Tan Tock Seng is a bedside tablet which records a patient's vital signs — such as blood pressure, oxygen levels and pulse — and uploads them wirelessly to the hospital's medical records.

Another breakthrough technology is the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track patients' temperatures and locations in real time.

Source:
Chong M. Local hospitals win award for innovation in healthcare. Channel NewsAsia (Singapore) [Internet] 2013 October 22.

To view the full article, please visit the following link:
https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/clinical-solutions/seven-health-it-projects-across-asia-pacific-presented-with-the-inaugural-himss-elsevier-digital-healthcare-award

Note:
The bedside tablet runs the medical device interface (MDI) software application developed by Cadi Scientific, a Singapore company.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital use mother-infant-cot RFID tagging system to ensure correct identification of babies

联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao), news article in Chinese (extract, translated), October 8, 2013:

To avoid mistakes in matching mother and baby, KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Gleneagles have rolled out a three-way newborn identification system linking mother, baby, and cot.

This system has an added layer of identification, compared to other hospitals, because it ensures that babies will not be put in the wrong cot.

Singapore General Hospital started using a two-way system [mother-infant] in March 2013 and Thomson Medical Center, in February 2013 ...

Source:
杨萌 (Yang M). 母婴与婴儿床电子标签系统划一三重认证确保婴儿抱对 [in Chinese]. 联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao) 2013 October 8.

To view the full article in Chinese, please visit the following link:
http://www.nuh.com.sg/wbn/slot/u3007/Patients%20and%20Visitors/Newsroom/Media%20Articles/2013/OCT/081013_ZB.pdf

Gleneagles Hospital uses RFID to prevent baby mismatch

TODAY, news article (extract), October 4, 2013:

Gleneagles Hospital has introduced a new feature to its infant identification system to give parents of newborns greater assurance and peace of mind.

In addition to the usual two identity bands that are placed on babies’ ankles, the hospital has added another feature — radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

These tags will be attached to the infant, the infant’s cot and the mother, and an alert will sound if the infant is placed in the wrong cot or handed to the wrong mother.

Source:
New baby-tagging feature to give parents greater assurance. TODAY (Singapore), 2013 October 4.

To view the full article, please visit the following link:
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-baby-tagging-feature-give-parents-greater-assurance

Samsung Medical Center uses intelligent RFID system to enhance patient experience

Samsung Medical Center, news release in Korean (summary), June 19, 2013:

Samsung Medical Center has rolled out an intelligent RFID system to enhance patient experience at its health screening center. All patients registered at the center will receive an integrated RFID tag.

In addition to locking and unlocking their lockers using the RFID tag, the system helps to shorten patient waiting time by adding a patient into the queue automatically when the right patient arrives at a laboratory or room. Wall-mounted LCD panels placed at strategic locations around the health screening center display accurate personalized information about waiting times and other procedural information related to the patient when he or she walks pass them. No manual tapping is required.

This system also helps patients enhance their experience as they journey through this intelligent health screening center.

To view the full news release in Korean, please visit the following link:
http://www.samsunghospital.com/infor/newsView.do?bno=2256

Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University (China) uses information technology to improve service quality and efficiency

中国数字医学 (China Digital Medicine), article in Chinese (summary), March 2013:

The Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University (China) uses information technology as part of its long-term plan to propel itself into the fast lane of the information highway. This technology was applied to sterile supplies traceability using barcodes, RFID, and mobile computing techniques; automated vital signs monitoring using RFID; asset tracking using RFID; computerized bedside medical information management; and computerized medical supplies management. The use of this technology helped to improve the hospital's service quality and efficiency.

Source:
张翔, 吴桂刚, 白颖, 刘洪伟, 胡婧茹 (Zhang X, Wu G, Bai Y, Hu J). 医院信息化建设推进医院服务模式创新 (Hospital information technology promotes innovation in hospital service model) [in Chinese]. 中国数字医学 (China Digital Medicine) 2013; 8(3):15–18.

Thomson Medical Centre enhances infant security with baby tagging solution

Joint Thomson Medical and Cadi Scientific news release (extract), February 6, 2013:

Mothers who deliver their babies at Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) will now enjoy a greater peace of mind with the launch of a baby tagging solution. Using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology, the Cadi SmartSense Infant Safety Solution (Gen II) allows parents to ensure that the right baby is matched with the right mother at all times during their stay at the hospital after childbirth.

To view the full news release, please visit the following link:
http://www.thomsonmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Press-Release-RFID-Baby-Tagging.pdf

Related newspaper article:
http://www.nus.edu.sg/enterprise/ETP_Newshub/public_mediacoverage/2013/Feb13/20130207%20-%20The%20Business%20Times%20-%20Cadi%20Scientific.pdf

Singapore General Hospital's new bed management system shortens waiting time for beds

News articles (summary), September 2012:

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) implemented the world’s largest bed management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in May 2009. The system allows hospital staff to check patient status and search for suitable beds electronically in real time. With this system, the time from the moment a patient is charged to the moment his or her bed is ready for another patient has been reduced from 90 minutes to 50 minutes. Also, patients can now get admitted to the emergency department within 2 hours, instead of having to wait for up to 10 hours previously, and the number of bed transfers have dropped from 8% to 6% and the number of overflow cases, by 12%.

Sources:

1.    Huang C. Shorter waiting time for beds at SGH with new bed management system. Channel NewsAsia (Singapore) [Internet] 2010 September 21.

2.    Tan J. RFID cuts SGH’s bed crunch. Straits Times (Singapore) 2010 September 21: Breaking News [Internet].

3.    New bed management system. Shorter waiting time for bed at SGH. The New Paper (Singapore) 2010 September 22: 8.

URLs:

1.     http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4348640

2.     http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-Reports/Pages/ShorterwaitingtimeforbedsatSGH.aspx

Notes:
The integrated bed management system was jointly supplied by Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc (USA) and Cadi Scientific (Singapore). Cadi Scientific integrated its RFID system with the Allscripts patient flow solution and then implemented the integrated system at Singapore General Hospital.

Bangkok Hospital uses RFID to ensure the right baby is given to the right mother

Cadi Scientific, news release, May 2012:

Cadi Scientific's Infant Safety solution was selected by a leading hospital in the Thai capital for its 30-bed maternity ward. This [solution] incorporates a mother-infant matching system that ensures the right infant is given to the right mother at all times. It also has an active RFID tag secured with a tamper-alert strap [to] the ankle of infants, to alert nursing staff to any unauthorised movements. This solution helps hospital staffs to easily and automatically match infants to their mothers and boosts the security of the ward.

URL:
http://www.cadi.com.sg/NewsEvents/Detail.aspx?type=news&year=2012&id=42

Note:
The hospital mentioned here refers to Bangkok Hospital, the flagship facility of Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, which operates the largest network of private hospitals in Southeast Asia.

Wuxi People's Hospital in China investigates the use of wireless temperature monitoring in the ICU

护理学杂志 (Journal of Nursing Science), article in Chinese (summary), January 2012:

Researchers from Wuxi People’s Hospital in Wuxi, China, investigated the use of the Cadi SmartSense wireless temperature monitoring system on 180 patients in the hospital's ICU and found that temperature readings recorded by the system were close to axillary temperature readings taken with a mercury thermometer. The researchers concluded that the SmartSense system is not only accurate and safe to use but also improves the quality of care, saves nursing time, and improves work efficiency.

Source:

曹晓东, 黄云娟, 黄琴红, 朱亭立, 曹燕, 蔡亚萍, 朱俊霞, 浦敏华 (Cao X, Huang Y, Huang Q, Zhu T, Cao Y, Cai Y, Zhu J, Pu M). 无线体温监测和位置跟踪传感器在ＩＣＵ重症患者体温监测中的应用 (Application of wireless temperature monitoring and location tracking sensor for patients admitted to ICU). 护理学杂志 (Journal of Nursing Science) 2012; 27(2):53–55.

Note:

The authors of this article were from Wuxi People’s Hospital (无锡市人民医院), where the Cadi SmartSense wireless temperature monitoring system was installed in the hospital's ICU.

The use of RFID technology in the ICU

中华医院管理杂志 (Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration), article in Chinese (extract; original and translated), September 2011:

Discussion (translated):

The ICU has all kinds of critically ill patients, data from intensive care monitoring, mobile devices, and medical waste. ICU staff faces high workload and high pressure. It is possible to take advantage of the mobility-enabling feature, flexible and convenient connectivity between people, and other positive features offered by radio frequency technology to achieve effective real-time monitoring in the ICU. The location of patients with RFID (radio frequency identification) wristbands, monitoring devices with sensing capabilities, and medical bottles and medical waste bags labeled with RFID tags can be tracked in real time via a wireless network. Such tracking will enable doctors or family members of patients to have timely visibility of patients’ treatment status and will also enable efficient and appropriate service for both patients and caregivers. Such an approach to patient care in the ICU will be not only a basis for the Internet of Things in medical matters but also a direction in the development of the digital hospital.

讨论 (原文）：

ICU 病房各种危重病人多, 各种重症监护采集的数据多, 各种移动设备的种类多, 各种医用垃圾多。ICU 的医护人员工作强度高，工作压力大。可以利用射频识别技术的可移动性, 接人灵活方便等特点，对病房进行有效的实时监控; 带有 RFID (射频识别标识) 腕带的病人, 带有传感设备的各种监护仪器, 贴有 RFID 标签的药瓶和医用垃圾袋, 均可通过无线网络的定位功能进行实时跟踪，使医生或患者家属时刻掌握病人的治疗情况, 为病人及医护人员提供快速, 准确的服务。这将是医疗物联网的建设基础, 也是数字化医院发展的方向。

Source:

陈敏亚, 刘仕福 (Chen M, Liu S). 射频识别技术在重症监护病房的应用 (The use of RFID technologies in the ICU) [in Chinese]. 中华医院管理杂志 (Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration) 2011; 27(9):703–704.

Note:

The first author of this article was from the Affiliated Wuxi People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (南京医科大学附属无锡市人民医院), where the Cadi SmartSense wireless temperature monitoring system was installed in one of the ICUs.

Prince Court Medical Center adopts RFID to reduce risk of infant abduction and asset theft

RFID Journal, article (extract), February 16, 2011:

The hospital is tracking infants and their mothers, as well as assets, utilizing passive and active RFID tags, with the goal of reducing the risk of infant abduction and asset theft.

The Prince Court Medical Center (PCMC), located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is employing active RFID tags with a built-in infrared (IR) transmitter to protect infants within its facility, as well as a combination of passive and active tags to track equipment and other medical assets.

Source:
Swedberg C. Malaysia's Prince Court Medical Center adopts RFID. RFID Journal 2011 February 16.

To view the full article, please visit the following link:
http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?8223/3

Alternatively, you may click here to view the article: PDF
(Copyright RFID Journal LLC. Used with permission.)

Prince Court Medical Center uses RFID tagging system to ensure correct mother-infant matching

New Sunday Times, news article (summary), January 2, 2011:

Prince Court Medical Centre (PCMC, Malaysia) is using a radio frequency tagging system to prevent infant abduction and baby mix-ups. The hospital’s business development and corporate affairs director, Dr. Junaidi Ismail, explained how the system works. Newborn babies and their mothers wear matching electronic tags. An alarm will be triggered if a nurse accidentally hands a baby over to a wrong mother or if a baby is taken out of the security or monitored zone. All system transactions, including admission and discharge, are password-controlled with time and date logged. The Health Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, is pleased that PCMC has implemented the system and he wants to see how effective it is in the long run.

Source:
Cruez AF. Foolproof method to avert baby mix-ups. New Sunday Times (Malaysia) 2011 January 2: Main section: 4.

To view the full news article, please visit the following link:
http://www.nib.com.my/archives/text/view/57766825?pos=10&hide_header=1&resultset=nstpec%3Awww/cross-search/search.php%3A_1390812429%3Aresultset

Singapore General Hospital improves bed management with automated system

Hospital IT Europe, article (summary), summer 2010:

To better manage bed resources, Singapore General Hospital deployed the Eclipsys patient flow software in integration with wireless patient location tracking system from Cadi Scientific. The integrated system significantly improved operational efficiency in patient flow from admission to discharge. In particular, it reduced daily average overflow by 12%, the average time to find a bed from 15 minutes to 5 minutes, and the number of phone calls per bed request from 5 minutes to 2 minutes.

Source:
Benedict Tan. Smart solutions. Hospital IT Europe 2010, 3(2):17,19.

To view the full article, please click here: PDF

RFID helps Pantai Hospital Ipoh focus on patients

RFID Journal, article (extract), June 28, 2010:

At Pantai Hospital Ipoh, in Malaysia, RFID automates routine tasks, giving nurses time to provide quality patient care.

Ipoh, one of Malaysia's main cities, is located approximately 125 miles north of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. At the city's main medical center, Pantai Hospital Ipoh, radio frequency identification is helping administrators provide better patient care despite a rapidly growing local population and a chronic skilled labor shortage.

Source:
Edwards J. RFID helps understaffed hospital focus on patients. RFID Journal 2010 June 28.

To view the full article, please visit the following link:
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/7646

Alternatively, you may click here to view the article: PDF
(Copyright RFID Journal LLC. Used with permission.)

KK Women's and Children's Hospital evaluates a wireless thermometer against ear and axillary temperatures in children

Journal of Pediatric Nursing, article (extract), June 2010:

This study evaluated the ThermoSENSOR against ear temperatures (ETs) measured by a Braun ThermoScan ear thermometer and axillary temperatures (ATs) measured by a Terumo digital clinical thermometer. The test participants consisted of 109 children aged 6 months to 16 years from a pediatric ward. ... These results suggest that the TTs were comparable to the ETs and ATs.

Source:
Ng K-G, Wong ST, Lim SM, Goh Z. Evaluation of the Cadi ThermoSENSOR wireless skin-contact thermometer against ear and axillary temperatures in children. Journal of Pediatric Nursing 2010; 25(3):176–86.

To view the abstract of the article, please visit the following link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20430278