Clinical engineering
practice, insufficient detection accuracy and it is difficult to determine the location. Active RFID uses a long-range tag, has a good read reliability, but it is battery powered and has a high cost (it is 200 times more expensive than passive RFiD). PervasID has developed a solution, using advanced reader technology, that makes passive (battery-free) tags perform more like active tags but without the associated costs and maintenance issues. The technology uses distributed antenna technology with advanced signal processing to increase reliable read range. “In a nutshell, we have invented an entirely
new way of addressing the physics, which means we are able to achieve 99% plus inventory accuracy. We use advanced processing, similar to that used in space by NASA, to be able to increase the range of these electronic devices.” This means the tag can be read over a distance of 20m. Using the technology, hospitals have the potential to track every single item within their walls - from medical devices to surgical instruments. “We have been working on using AI and
machine learning to be able to map the entire data within the hospital and precisely locate every single asset. It’s like a GPS; imagine GPS suddenly in your hospital! We are tracking every single item within a 1m radius, telling you precisely what’s happening in real time,” he explained.
Real-world applications The first UK Trust to deploy this technology was Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Trust in London. A performance study carried out by the Trust involved the tagging of 55 medical assets to compare detection accuracy – with and without cages blocking shelving. The detection accuracy without cages for Pervasid was 100% compared to 56.4% with a conventional reader, while the accuracy with cages blocking the shelving for
About EBME Expo
The EBME Expo is the UK’s leading independent exhibition and conference dedicated to healthcare technology, providing a unique platform for professionals involved in the management, integration, and procurement of medical equipment. Held annually, the event focuses on enhancing patient safety, boosting operational efficiency, and championing excellence in HealthTech management. The 2026 event will be held on 24th & 25th June at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
https://ebme-expo.com/
“This is valuable data for hospitals, ensuring
Pervasid was 98.2%, compared to 27.3% with a conventional reader. The company is now working with Alder
Hey and a number of other UK Trusts, as well as rolling out the technology across Europe and the US. He highlighted the case findings by Alder Hey which looked at the tracking of surgical instrument trays and found that the technology reached 99+% reading accuracy in near real-time. “The latest solution – called Trackmaster – is a single device that can cover 4,500 square feet. If you have an area, such as an operating theatre, which is around 2,500 square feet, you just need one of these. You could track everything in that operating theatre,” he commented. Typically, the return on investment is around 12 months, Dr. Sabesan Sithamparanathan claimed.
Using RFiD to track patients On day two of the conference, Simon Dawkins, Global Healthcare and Pharma Director, at RFiD Discovery, continued the discussion around the use of RFiD scanning in hospitals – this time focusing the attention on the tracking of patients to improve efficiency and patient safety. “We know how overstretched clinicians are and the pressures they are facing on a day-to- day basis. This is causing delays in treatment and discharge – staff are running around looking for beds. They need to know, has it been cleaned? Has it been processed correctly?” He pointed out that manual tracking methods are slow. “Phone calls have to be made to cleaning staff or clinical engineering departments, and that’s really a heavy manual process. The lack of real-time visibility of bed availability is one area where technology can have a big impact in the way that acute hospitals work,” he commented. Tracking patients through a department or elective surgery, RFiD enables full visibility of the patient journey – from arrival to discharge.
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I November 2025
accurate information. It provides automated status changes and updates as people go through the various sections of their clinical care, reducing delays and unnecessary phone calls – whether it’s porter services or arranging transport, etc. There is a lot of time and energy spent that could be better focused on patient care. It also gives an electronic audit trail of what’s happening, live within the hospital – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Not only does this speed up the turnaround of beds, rooms and bays, but infection control is also better controlled… It is also helpful in the event of an outbreak of norovirus for example, enabling contact tracing,” Simon Dawkins explained. The technology also provides valuable data for the senior management team for other aspects of hospital management: “It can record who did what, when, and how that process was followed, which is valuable in terms of CQC inspection. It ensures the evidence base you need for compliance,” he commented, adding that, “Data is always ‘king’ in any industry.” He explained that there are two different
types of tracking systems on the market – Passive and RTLS (real-time location system). “There are pros and cons to any system;
however, RTLS can create more work for clinicians,” he commented. “The cost of the tags can be cost prohibited and there is a value associated with lost tags – clinicians forget to take tags off when the patient goes home, so there’s a high turnover,” he explained. He said that RTLS also has a higher software
cost. However, it is great for monitoring patient wandering/maternity security for babies, enabling live tracking.
photo courtesy of RFiD Discovery
RFBSIP -
stock.adobe.com
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