Effective Use of RFID in Medicine and General Healthcare

RFID have been used for decades. There are a variety of systems and several standards for RFID tags. RFID systems have long been utilized in industry, but their use in hospitals is not widespread. RFID tag systems with specific applications to hospital needs have the potential for great benefit, both clinically and economically. In the first part of this chapter, typical uses of RFID in hospitals are shown, after which practical RFID systems are introduced, including the use of newly developed active RFID tags. Finally, possible future medical uses of RFID tags and tag systems are discussed.