Prevent Wandering Patient Tragedies

The following article by Editor Ken Congdon of HealthCare Technology OnLine discusses Common Sense steps to preventing wandering patient tragedies and goes on to discuss technology options of which GuardRFID’s solution is highlighted.

An excerpt of the article is reprinted below with permission:

More sophisticated technology solutions include wireless and RFID (radio frequency identification) door security and patient tracking solutions. Basic RFID door security solutions include RFID readers, tags, and wireless keypads. With systems like these, patients are assigned an RFID bracelet when they are admitted to a facility. When these bracelets get within range of the readers placed above designated exit or danger doors, an alarm immediately sounds and the door is locked automatically. The wireless keypads included with these solutions allow staff members to bypass the system in the event they need to take a patient off premises or to another area of the facility.

Comprehensive computer-based RFID tracking solutions are also available. “These applications allow staff members to view, on any computer monitor, a full floor plan of the facility that pinpoints in near real-time where each patient is located in the facility.” says Zahir Abji, president and CEO of Guard RFID Solutions, a company that provides an RFID patient tracking solution called SafeGuard. “Patient location is determined via beacons emitted every 10 seconds from each patient’s RFID wristband. The facility’s computerized floor plan also identifies where the building’s egress points are. Most of these solutions also provide the same door alarm and automatic locking functions features that basic door security packages do, but add real-time patient visibility and tracking to the equation.”

Now, you might think that RFID technology solutions like these may fall outside the budget constraints of your long-term health facility, but you might be surprised. According to Abji, Guard RFID’s basic door security platform only costs about $1,100 per door. The SafeGuard solution is a bit more expensive and fluctuates based on the complexities of the facility. However, the costs of either of these systems are minimal when compared to the legal costs of a wandering patient incident or the loss of a single human life.

For the full Text Prevent Wandering Patient Tragedies