ENDOSCOPE GUIDE
Using RFID technology for endoscope
management
by Robert Gibson
A
s one of the largest and busiest within the organization the system and remove endoscopes. Us-
academic medical centers in the • Introduce automation around pro- ers are required to identify the patient or
country and recently ranked as cesses for storage, utilization, and re- procedure where the endoscope(s) will
one of the top ten best hospitals in the processing be used prior to removing it. The system
nation by U.S News and World Report, the • Align and support the existing organi- automatically associates the devices to the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylva- zational patient safety and quality ini- patient selected as well as to the staff mem-
nia Medical Center has experienced sig- tiatives for world class patient care ber who removed the device.
nificant growth in our endoscopy service With these objectives driving the search The second component is a workstation
over the past several years. As such, our for a new approach to our endoscope located in our reprocessing area that tracks
quantity of flexible endoscopes has grown management, we identified a unique tech- the high-level disinfection of the flexible
significantly, leading to a current inven- nology to support our efforts. The orga- endoscopes following a procedure. Once
tory of more than 175 flexible endoscopes, nization selected an endoscope tracking the endoscope has been decontaminated,
and on average 80 that are used and re- technology from Mobile Aspects, a Pitts- it is received into the reprocessing area
processed on a daily basis. As we started burgh-based technology provider. The for high-level disinfection. The worksta-
the planning stages for opening a new system was implemented shortly after the tion automates the receipt of the devices
500,000-square foot outpatient facility that opening of the new outpatient facility in using the RFID technology and then
would support our outpatient endoscopy the fall of 2008. through software automation tracks the
unit, the perioperative services division The system uses radio frequency iden- testing of the AER’s disinfectant efficacy,
identified a need to incorporate new ap- tification (RFID) technology to automate placement of the endoscopes into AERs
proaches in managing these important the processes associated with endoscope and adherence to our reprocessing proce-
and expensive assets. storage, utilization, and reprocessing. In dures. Upon completion of reprocessing,
Previously, endoscopes were stored and using RFID technology, each endoscope the endoscopes are returned back to the
used in a variety of locations throughout has a unique RFID tag applied to the flex- storage units in an adjacent room.
the main hospital, creating challenges in ible endoscope. In addition to the RFID Upon implementing the system, we
tracking, documenting and communicat- tags, the endoscope tracking system con- have realized initial success towards the
ing their status. Given the importance sists of two primary components. objectives we identified. HPN
these instruments play in the care deliv- The first component is a set of cabinet- Robert Gibson is the Assistant Director of In-
ery process, the organization sought a based storage units that store, protect, and strument Processing at Penn Surgicentre and
new approach to manage the devices cen- monitor the use of our flexible endo- Penn Endoscopy Center at the Hospital of the
tered on the following objectives: scopes. These units are located within a University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
• Improve the control of instruments central storage area of the Endoscopy Unit For a chart of endoscope repair & service vendors,
and heighten accountability for use and only allow authorized users to access
see
www.hpnonline.com/2009-11/0911-Scopes.html
Visit
www.ksrleads.com/?911hp-020
50 November 2009 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS
www.hpnonline.com
0911-Scope Guide-shorrt.pmd 50 10/13/2009, 5:14 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68