IntelliDOT Hints at New RFID Handheld
San Diego tech company IntelliDOT Corporation announced the future availability of a new handheld with RFID capabilities for use in health-care settings.
The new handheld is the latest device intended to improve patient safety (by ensuring correct patient identification) and workflow.
The CAREt System handheld will combine barcoding, RFID, 802.11 and Bluetooth capabilities in the same handheld device.
IntelliDOT Corporation Announces RFID Capabilities at HIMSS 07
[03/01/07] IntelliDOT Corporation, a San Diego-based innovator in patient safety and workflow management solutions for healthcare, announced the future availability of a new handheld with RFID capabilities for use with the CAREt System, IntelliDOT’s handheld barcode patient safety technology. The announcement was made at the HIMSS 07 Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, LA, where IntelliDOT is demonstrating the technology in booth # 7507.The coexistence of barcode and RFID capabilities at the point of care is noteworthy for its ability to increase nurse efficiency and streamline patient identification. The CAREt System handheld will combine barcoding, RFID, 802.11 and Bluetooth capabilities in the same handheld device.
With RFID technology integrated into its hardware, the CAREt handheld device can read a passive RFID chip embedded in the patient’s wristband. The chip has 13.56 MHz near-field capabilities and a three-inch range around the wrist. When the new CAREt handheld is held within two to three inches of the wristband, the signal emitted from the handheld powers the chip, which then sends information back to the handheld to the verify patient information. Wristbands will be available through a partnership with Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC), a leader in automatic wristband identification.
“The CAREt System, with RFID and barcoding sidebyside at the point of care, will allow caregivers to identify patients more efficiently,” said Dave Swenson, R.Ph., Chief Operating Officer of IntelliDOT. “IntelliDOT’s tightly integrated system significantly reduces medication errors. It’s an easy-to-use device that supports nurses in their day-to-day work without adding additional, unnecessary steps.”
With the RFID feature, the nurse will no longer need to see the patient’s wrist to scan the barcode. Instead, the reader can be within a few inches of the patient’s wristband to verify the five rights.
IntelliDOT will also read RFID information on clinicians’ name badges to ease workflow, in addition to wristbands for patients. While patient wristbands are meant for short-term use during their stay in the hospital, the radio frequency information written to the clinician’s name badge will be permanent, and meant for use over the course of months and years to quickly and accurately identify the caregiver.
About the CAREt System
The CAREt System is the first nurse-centered workflow manager to connect caregivers with the information systems they need at the point of care. Designed to complement the way nurses work, the handheld CAREt System is simple to use and provides nurses with a single, wireless tool for medication safety and documentation at the bedside.
The integrated hardware and software solution provided by IntelliDOT results in a cost-effective “smart hardware” system for hospitals looking for a customized design for caregivers at the bedside. By simply scanning a patient wristband, nurses are prompted by the CAREt handheld tool through all required medication administration and documentation tasks that have accumulated for a patient. Information is clear, organized and delivered right into the caregiver’s hand, right when it’s needed. When and if available, the RFID feature will be integrated into IntelliDOT’s CAREt System hardware platform.
About IntelliDOT Corporation
San Diego-based IntelliDOT Corporation (www.IntelliDOT.net) provides an advanced, wireless workflow optimization and medication error prevention solution for hospitals and other health care providers. Working from a wireless network connection, IntelliDOT’s CAREt System incorporates a unique handheld computing device, an enterprise-class server and a sophisticated, but flexible software application. In addition to reading conventional barcodes, the CAREt System reads small, information-rich codes called DOTs that can be used to create customized documentation and communication applications.