How Can Hospitals Keep Track of Medical Equipment?
There is no saying how many pieces of medical equipment a hospital will have at any given time. For this reason, among others, it is important that hospitals have their equipment organized. This way, employees can find the tools they need when they need them. Knowing where to find the right supplies can make the difference between a doctor saving or losing a life. Below are some of the best organizational tools hospitals can use to make sure they can keep track of their medical equipment.
UDI Codes
Up first are Unique Device Identification codes. UDI codes are actually required by the United States FDA. These codes help to store and manage data collected from codes on various pieces of medical equipment. Each UDI code is made up of two parts, a device identifier number and a product identifier number. These numbers are put together to make one long code.
What information can UDI codes provide? The device identifier code number contains only the code for the specific make and model of the piece of equipment. The product identifier contains more information, including the following.
• Equipment manufacturing date
• Lot/batch number
• Serial number
• Expiration date (if applicable)
• Distinct ID Codes (if applicable)
Computer systems can then read these codes, or someone can input the code into the computer, to learn more about the piece of equipment. From there, employee can input more data, for example, as to where the equipment is stored. Later, when someone needs to look up the code, they will have an easier time for finding where it is being stored.
Find My Device Apps
Many hospitals will issue a cell phone or tablet to medical employees. There is always a possibility that one of these devices may get lost or stolen. One way to track a lost or stolen device is to use a find my device app. These apps can be synced on other devices. This means that a tablet could be synced to an employee´s phone, or vise versa. Imagine a nurse loses her work tablet. With a find my device app, she could then use her phone to help her track the tablet. Of course, what all the app will be able to do will greatly depend on what app you get.
Some apps may show where the tablet is in relation to the phone, while some might have the tablet make a noise the nurse can follow to find it. If the device is lost somewhere in the building, the app will be able to show where it is. If the tablet is outside of the hospital (but not in the nurse´s car or home), then it can be assumed that the device has been stolen. Some apps may be able to give away the GPS coordinates of the device. If necessary, these coordinates can be given to the authorities to find the stolen device.
Radio Frequency Identification Stickers
If a hospital needs to track devices that do not connect to the internet (whether through date or Wi-Fi), using Radio Frequency Identification Stickers can help. These stickers are used like everyday stickers. Simply put them on whatever you need to track. You can put these on about any kind of item, so long as the sticker fits. As the name implies, items that use RFIS can be tracked by using radio waves. This works because each of the stickers will have a small antennae inside. These connect to cell phones and other electronic devices. The stickers can also be synced with an employee´s ID number to organize the items by who they belong to. In a way, these work like a find my device app, just without the item needing to be able to connect to the internet.
Whether a hospital needs to better organize electronic or non-electronic devices, one or more of the above options may be able to help. Hospital employees would do well to research these topics more to find out which option is best for their needs.
