The Design And Evaluation Of A Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid) Enabled Inpatient Safety Management System

Clinical work in modern hospitals is characterized by a high degree of mobility, frequent interruptions, and much ad hoc collaboration between colleagues with different expertise. Today's hospitals are under an increased pressure to become more efficient. There is an increasing number of patients and less budget for treatment. Hospital information systems promise such a necessary increase in productivity. However the medical point of care is different from any traditional office workplace. Usability is of utmost importance because the primary concern of doctors and nurses is the patient and not the information system. In this research we describe the design of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled inpatient safety management system (RISMS) and how it can be utilized to achieve a usable solution for the point of care. A user-centered design process is followed to achieve the necessary usability. The performance evaluations as well as the expected benefits of the system are also discussed.