RFID systems are widely used in hospitals and other medical facilities for contactless identification. For physical access control, or for visiting and documentation purposes, for example. The applications are mainly limited to hospital personnel, and their primary goal is to lower costs and expenses. But there are also many more potential uses for RFID in hospitals and these applications put the focus on patient comfort.
During their stay at the hospital, patients have access to numerous cost-based services and offerings: the cafeteria, drink vending machines, TV, and Internet access. For most patients, it is not convenient or comfortable to carry around cash. Switching these services to a cashless system makes sense in terms of both hygiene and theft prevention too. RFID enables contactless payments and authentication with the utmost convenience.
Challenges
- To position themselves internationally as a provider of RFID-enabled authentication solutions for hospitals, the readers/writers have to support the widest possible range of RFID technologies.
A win-win for personnel and patients
Both patients and personnel identify themselves at the terminal with their RFID badges or ID card
In ideal cases, potential uses of RFID for patients and personnel can even be combined. This is the case, for example, with multimedia terminals in patient rooms. Equipped with an RFID reader/writer, the terminals can be readily used by both parties. Both patients and personnel identify themselves at the terminal with their RFID badges or ID card.
Physicians can then access digital patient information and no longer need to carry around paper-based patient files. Patients can use the terminals to watch TV and have access to other entertainment and service offerings. A win-win situation.
Solutions
- The multi-frequency RFID readers in the TWN4 series from ELATEC recognise and read more than 60 RFID systems, including all standard card technologies worldwide.
Results
- RFID gives both personnel and patients convenient access to multimedia terminals and other offerings and services.
- RFID badges and cards currently in use for other areas can also be used for the terminals.
Flexible multi-frequency RFID readers/writers
To develop optimal solutions for the particular application scenario, ELATEC offers manufacturers of multimedia terminals a wide range of high-performance and flexible multi-frequency RFID readers/writers for contactless authentication.
Each of the multi-frequency readers recognises and reads more than 60 different RFID card technologies, including all standard international systems. They are ideally suited for international use and are already approved for use in more than 110 countries. System integrators who equip their products and complete solutions with RFID readers can thereby benefit from a simpler and faster approval process.