SIVA IoT Presents Innovative Solutions for Healthcare
SIVA IoT, an internationally active family-owned manufacturer of innovative RFID tags based in Goa, India with 100+ global channel partners, has been increasingly focusing on healthcare. The world is undergoing a transformation in healthcare, in terms of asset management and patient tracking with RFID.
SIVA IoT’s product portfolio reflects this transformation. From UHF RFID wristbands for patient identification & tracking, to UHF RFID tags for asset tracking (surgical tools, metallic assets, RTI, etc.), to the recently developed gamma-resistant UHF RFID labels: SIVA IoT is at the forefront of innovation in healthcare.
The Importance of Patient Identification and Tracking
Hospitals can become chaotic environments for both nursing staff and patients. There are many scenarios where patient identification and tracking would prove useful.
Nursing staff in particular must be able to ensure that patients are moved to specific rooms or operating theatres at defined times. The search for patients can take up a lot of effort and time. Patients may also end up wandering into restricted areas. Another scenario involves patients that may have contracted an infectious disease. Without a solution that monitors the movement and location of patients, these patients may end up wandering into unquarantined areas of the hospital where they may infect other patients or hospital staff.
These are some examples that demonstrate the importance of implementing patient tracking and monitoring solutions in hospitals. There are other technologies that can be used for such solutions which include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
Cost-Effective UHF RFID Wristbands from SIVA IoT
When considering which technology to use, system integrators and more so end-users are typically concerned with budget constraints. Costs for the technology have to be considered, in addition to recurring costs.
RTLS solutions require satellite subscriptions, for example. On the other hand, consumable BLE wristbands are also quite costly. Hospitals typically use disposable wristbands. This is why we developed a disposable & cost-effective UHF RFID Loop Wristband, eliminating the need to sanitize re-used wristbands.
Many hospitals already have pre-existing RFID infrastructure installed to enable solutions such as the tracking of hospitals beds, wheelchairs, medical equipment, and tools. SIVA IoT’s UHF RFID wristband solution can be seamlessly integrated into the existing RFID infrastructures. This means that the same infrastructure can be used to track patients that are equipped with the RFID wristband.
The Benefits of Patient Tracking and Localization
Hospital staff that spends less time manually tracking patient movements would have more time to perform other tasks. Nursing staff can focus on the quality of healthcare. Patient monitoring also enables the control of disease infections.
By connecting the patient ID of the RFID wristband to the RFID tag ID of an assigned patient bed, hospital staff have a clear overview of the location of both the patient and the bed. This can be checked at any time via the patient admission system. This makes it easier for hospital staff to ensure that the correct patient is on the correct bed and in the correct room.
Another benefit is the prevention of incorrect therapy or medication administration as a result of misidentification. By scanning the RFID wristband, hospital staff are able to identify the patient in order to administer the correct treatment. Mix-ups are eliminated.
Patient Tracking Solution Already Deployed
SIVA IoT’s patient tracking solution with its on-site printable UHF RFID Loop Wristband has already been deployed in some European hospitals and one hospital in South America. Proof of concepts are currently underway in a hospital in Germany, and in Switzerland.
We want system integrators to know that there’s an alternative solution to RTLS and BLE technology for localization and patient tracking in hospitals. Consumable/disposable UHF wristbands are the solution! Reusable wristbands are generally more expensive. The reality is, that no one in the hospital would have time to properly sterilize the wristbands for reuse. Wristbands with RTLS or GPS technology can cost up to 6 to 10 Euros. It would simply be considered a waste if thrown away after single use. Although UHF RFID wristbands may not provide the level of accuracy of RTLS solutions, it still gives a pretty good visualization of the real-time location of patients. Our UHF RFID Loop Wristband was first launched in 2022, and we hope that it will continue to be a great alternative choice for patient tracking for hospitals worldwide.
Visitor Management in Hospitals
The same RFID wristband solution can also be used as a visitor management solution in hospitals. This way, hospital staff can track visiting times and ensure that visitors leave specific areas when visiting hours are over.
High-Temperature Asset Tracking in Hospitals
RFID is not only used for patient tracking and localization. Hospital equipment and tools that are subject to sterilization processes must undergo high-temperatures and withstand strong chemicals. SIVA IoT also offers specially designed RFID tags that are suited for such environments. This includes its selection of on-metal UHF RFID ceramic tags. These tags come in different sizes, from small to large, and can withstand hundreds of sterilization cycles and autoclave temperatures up to 200°C.
These tags can be affixed to metallic medical tools and equipment. They are often attached to surgical tools.
When we talk about heat, steam-based sterilization processes have such high temperatures that the area of application is quite limited. Surgical tools are often curved, making it difficult to attach normal tags or labels. SIVA IoT is one of the few companies that offer ceramic tags for surgical tool management in hospitals.
SIVA IoT’s Most Recent Innovation: Gamma Resistant RFID Labels
SIVA IoT’s most recent innovation for healthcare is a UHF RFID label that is resistant to gamma radiation.
We were contacted by a company that was working with hospitals on bacteria cultures and cells. These cultures are grown on petri dishes that are subjected to gamma radiation. Specimens with cancer cells are monitored and monitored for regrowth. Hospitals were having issues with the management of 1000’s of petri dishes and Barcode labels were not an effective solution.
UHF RFID ICs are typically not able to resist gamma radiation. Upon exposure to gamma radiation, the memory of the chip is corrupted. To tackle this problem, SIVA IoT deploys a special IC that is built to resist gamma radiation. This solution opens up several possibilities to tag objects with UHF labels in healthcare, exposed to radiation.
