Radio Frequency Identification Enhances Patient Safety Radio Frequency Identification Enhances Patient Safety

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology enhances patient safety in pharmacies. The authors highlight the importance of efficient and traceable control of high-value medications, which are often specialty drugs, in order to secure the quality and safety of consumables. RFID systems enable visual information management of the whole process and allow a real-time 2-way traceability closed-loop management. This results in improved efficiency, reduced clinical workload, and improved patient safety. The authors compare RFID technology with traditional 2D barcodes and highlight the limitations of the latter. While barcodes are limited in the number of characters they can maintain and can be difficult to read depending on the condition of the barcode, RFID technology uses radio waves for data collection and transfer and is considered a next-generation innovation for automatic data collection and asset tracking. RFID can capture data automatically and efficiently without human intervention, promoting inventory management and improving picking accuracy, identification, and safety. The authors also discuss the cost of implementing RFID technology in pharmacies, which is higher than traditional barcode technology. However, they argue that the operational gains justify the cost, including improved privacy, safety, and security. The authors provide examples of RFID applications in drug inventory and automation and its benefits in high-cost equipment and pharmaceutical management.