Title:	SAFETY AND TRACEABILITY OF CLINICAL AND RESEARCH PROCESSES ENABLED BY INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND PERVASIVE RFID TECHNOLOGY
Author(s):	Elena Sini, Michele Torresani, Paolo Locatelli, Nicola Restifo
ISBN:	978-972-8939-16-8
Editors:	Mário Macedo
Year:	2010
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Transfusion safety, tissue bank, chemotherapy, traceability, RFId, Business Process Reengineering, clinical risk.
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	44
Last Page:	51
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	In the health care sector many Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can have a strong role in changing processes, also in the clinical and research areas. One of these technologies is Radio Frequency Identification (RFId), which can be key for reaching new levels of security and traceability in the clinical practice and for gathering relevant data for research. The Fondazione Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (the Italian Cancer Institute in Milan) is a case study in this scenario, where the CIO recognized the potential of introducing such a pervasive technology like RFId in clinical and research processes, and approached change from a systemic point of view, building an infrastructure (e.g. patient identification devices, staff identification badges, WiFi network...) on which different application can “hook up” to support specific processes. This enabled the gradual spread of the use of RFId applications to support daily activities in wards and laboratories, provided via WiFi PDAs or RFId devices integrated with desktop workstations. Partners Fondazione Politecnico di Milano and Hewlett-Packard helped this way. The first and most successful application ensures total transfusion traceability from the Blood Bank to wards, providing transfusionists with up-to-date information regarding ward activities and haemovigilance. Other interesting projects regard time and temperature traceability of surgical specimens from the operating theatre to the frozen tissue biobank, safety of chemotherapy treatments, workflow management for bedside radiology examinations. Thanks to these applications, the Istituto is experiencing strong improvements in patient safety, process quality, awareness and traceability, but also in the quality of his clinical research.
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