The following is a guest article by Jennifer Splawski, PharmD, MS, BCPS, Director of Clinical Strategy at Bluesight
In the ever-evolving landscape of patient safety, a groundbreaking solution has emerged to combat medication errors and enhance operational efficiency in hospitals. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is making waves, transforming the way pharmacists and healthcare professionals ensure patient safety.
Imagine undergoing knee replacement surgery, coming into the emergency department for a cardiac arrest, or needing emergent imaging due to a stroke. The last thing anyone wants is a medication mix-up or the administration of expired or recalled drugs during such critical moments. Hospital pharmacy leaders, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians have long strived to ensure the accuracy of medications delivered throughout the healthcare system, be it in operating rooms, crash carts, or various specialized areas.
Error-Prone Tedium
Traditionally, this process has been plagued by the potential for human error. Teams of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists were tasked with the painstaking duty of refilling kits, verifying expiration dates, and maintaining extensive paper records for every medication vial, bottle, syringe, or IV infusion. Despite their vigilance, errors remained an ever-present risk.
The advent of RFID technology has changed the game. It allows medications to autonomously declare their identity and location and ensure that they are not expired or recalled. Unlike traditional barcode scanning, RFID operates without requiring a direct line of sight. It can identify, verify, and validate multiple vials within a kit or tray without the need to physically open the container.
Friend of the Pharmacist
RFID relies on tiny tags smaller than postage stamps affixed to each medication container, kit, and tray. These tags store critical information and respond by reflecting radio waves from RFID readers. The readers, embedded in restocking stations or carried as handheld devices, recognize the tag’s signal and transmit it to a database for storage, analysis, and reporting, akin to the technology behind cashier-less grocery shopping.
With an RFID-driven automated management system, hospitals gain complete visibility into medication inventory. When it’s time to replenish a used kit, the system can identify which medications have been used, what remains, and whether the restocked kit is ready for return to the operating room or crash cart.
In stark contrast to manual methods, hospitals utilizing RFID technology have reported an astonishing 90% reduction in restocking time, allowing teams to refocus their tasks and reallocate their resources to other pharmacy tasks.
The advantages of RFID extend far beyond error reduction and time savings. RFID data allows hospitals to have visibility into medication utilization in non-automated areas of the hospital. This data allows the pharmacy to optimize and standardize kits and trays across the health system based on real-time utilization. By optimizing kits and trays the pharmacy can also reduce costs by minimizing expired inventory.
‘Overwhelming Task’ is ‘Much More Manageable’
Dianne Shoemaker, the allied health technical coordinator overseeing pharmacy technicians at the University of Michigan Hospitals, commends the transformation, stating, “Before we started with this RFID system, we were doing everything by hand…[RFID] makes a very overwhelming task much more manageable.” This innovative system even aids in locating vital crash carts, improving efficiency, and mitigating the risk of errors.
By eliminating staff redundancy, RFID systems empower pharmacy technicians to singlehandedly handle kit inspections, allowing them to take ownership of the process, particularly crucial in times of acute healthcare staffing shortages. Technicians can work more efficiently, dedicating more time to meaningful tasks, such as preparing intravenous medications or delivering medicines to patients. Pharmacists, too, benefit from the shift, redirecting their focus from checking numerous trays to tasks that have a more direct impact on patient care.
In the inherently human realm of healthcare, errors are an unfortunate reality. Technologies like RFID, which simultaneously reduce errors and boost staff productivity and satisfaction, are invaluable assets in the ongoing mission to ensure patient safety.
About Jennifer Splawski
Jennifer Splawski’s experience includes over 10 years as a clinical pharmacist with a background in emergency medicine and pharmacy management. Before working at Bluesight, she was the interim pharmacy manager at Loyola Medicine – MacNeal Hospital. In this role, she created emergency medicine pharmacy services, led a large team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and co-led several technology launches (ADC, AWS, IV Pump, EMR, and KitCheck RFID) at her facility.
