IM-ASSIST process managementin conjunction with radio-chip technology (RFID) revolutionise transfusion medicine

Mediaform and InfoMedis present an RFID system for patient identification

The objectives of patient safety and working efficiency in hospitals do not have to be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, these goals can be achieved simultaneously.   The new IM-Assist system makes this possible not only by unmistakeably identifying patients by means of their wristbands, but also by linking the complex work processes with each other and facilitating automatic patient documentation.   The core functions of the IM-Assist system are performed by barcode/RFID technology and the combination of on- and offline data exchange. The result is a high level of functional security in everyday hospital routine – even at locations where no IT network is accessible.

The system's components consist of standard PCs, PDAs and printers, as well as suitable barcode/RFID readers, Armilla RFID wristbands and labels (barcode / RFID). The PDAs are carried by hospital personnel, who can use them at any time to check the correspondence of medication, dispenser, conserved blood, work list etc. allocated to a patient. At stationary locations, identity checks can also be carried out using standard PCs. The system can be integrated into any IT infrastructure. Existing work processes must not be modified in order to use IM-Assist. Especially in certified laboratories, this is a basic prerequisite for smooth integration. The procedure is illustrated using the example of a blood transfusion: the process chain starts with the printing and fixing of a wristband to the patient. Key information is transferred from this wristband onto a blood-sample tube and onto an order form featuring an RFID label. A PDA with combined RFID/barcode reader is used for this. The blood-sample tubes are forwarded to the laboratory and there they are checked for patient ownership. Following the laboratory tests, the key information is transferred to the allocated conserved blood. At the end of the operational chain, i.e. before the transfusion is given to the patient, that patient's key information is compared to^^ that on the conserved blood. Only if the information is identical can the transfusion be carried out.

The company InfoMedis AG (http://www.infomedis.ch/index.php), which is headquartered in Alpnach / Switzerland, has specialized in the development and use of auto-ID systems in hospitals with associated system analysis.

The company's employees have been active in the field of RFID applications since 1991, have extensive technical know-how in the technology involved and have successfully installed several applications, including for libraries, museums and archives. InfoMedis is represented in a number of standardization bodies (ISO, DIN). The newly developed IM-Assist system was created between 2006 and 2008 at the St. Gallen Canton Hospital.