RFID Tag: Awarepoint Announces The First And Only Sterilizable Active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Real-time Location System (RTLS) Asset Tag
Awarepoint recently announced the healthcare industry's first-to-market active radio frequency identification (RFID) Real-time Location System (RTLS) asset tag that is sterilizable via steam autoclave and common liquid sterilization methods without removing it from equipment.
The Awarepoint T2S asset tag is tested to endure standard autoclave cycles at temperatures up to 1350C, as well as immersion in the most common liquid sterilization methods. This new enhancement will further allow sterilize process workflows to be remotely monitored. The Awarepoint system can alert appropriate staff (via email, pager or system reporting) if sterile protocol was compromised (e.g., equipment moves from one sterile area to the next before being processed by the sterile processing department).
Active RFID-Real-time Location Systems (RTLS) are currently used to track a variety of medical equipment – from wheelchairs and gurneys, to IV pumps and pulse oximeters. To date, hospitals have been unable to use an active RFID solution to track certain medical-surgical equipment, as the asset tags themselves could not withstand the cleaning and sterilization process. Medical -surgical instrumentation tray and container systems are examples of devices that are critical to patient care, and designed for reuse only after adequate cleaning and sterilization. Searching for this equipment and knowing its status in the hospital's sterile processing department can be a time consuming and frustrating experience for staff and surgeons alike. Now with the benefits of Awarepoint's new sterilizable active RFID asset tag, staff can locate this equipment through the sterile processing department and understand its status (clean/dirty) at the touch of a button.
"Our new sterilizable tags can be cleaned and disinfected. With a battery life of 5 years or more, this makes it an extremely cost effective solution for medical instrumentation tracking applications," said Jason Howe, Awarepoint's Chief Executive Officer.
SOURCE: Awarepoint