RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology is transforming healthcare, offering contactless data transfer via radio waves. In hospitals, RFID helps Pneumatic Tube Systems optimise workflows by tracking transportation routes, logging critical tracking data on the interdepartmental exchange of laboratory samples, blood supplies, health records, medications and much more.
RFID systems consist of two key components: a reader and a transponder, enabling seamless, real-time tracking without physical contact. This ensures safer workflows, reduces errors, and enhances efficiency.
In pneumatic tube systems, RFID tracks deliveries of medications and lab samples in real-time, ensuring precise and secure transport. The technology enables healthcare providers to trace every item, guaranteeing transparency and minimising the risk of misplacement. Automated systems can even manage carriers, anticipate maintenance needs, and optimize routes for continuous performance.
RFID not only improves logistics but enhances patient care by ensuring timely, accurate deliveries in critical hospital operations like pharmacies, labs, and blood banks, it can also prevent counterfeiting and theft. Transportation routes can be tracked in real time, considerably improving safety and efficiency.
Key advantages of RFID?
RFID is the ideal solution for customers wishing for a transparent and safe tracking system. In comparison to other options of data collection, RFID has a crucial advantage: no contact is necessary between sender and receiver.
- Workflows are optimised and protected better.
- Reduces costs.
- Resources can be used more efficiently.
Additional benefits of RFID:
- The radio signal can easily penetrate different materials
- Information is recorded within a few seconds
- Resilient transponders: resistant to humidity and dirt
- Transponders can be adapted in form and size to a facility’s needs.
How Does TranspoNet Utilise RFID
The pneumatic tube system TranspoNet enables safe and reliable transportation of medication and lab samples to a chosen destination. There are official regulations concerning tracking, it is therefore indispensable to ensure a continuous monitoring chain. The pneumatic tube carriers are equipped with transponders and each delivery can transmit data via RFID at any given time.
The transponder is registered and attributed to the respective transport at the sending station; the delivery is connected to the carrier ID. Antenna read out the chip of the transponder and track the exact route of the carrier in the pneumatic tube. TranspoNet engineers can therefore track deliveries and react accordingly in case something goes wrong. Real-time data about any delivery detail, such as status or location, can be viewed in protocols and reports. Every delivery can be identified. By constantly monitoring the whole process, the required transparency is guaranteed.
When the carrier arrives at the receiving station, the delivery is double-checked: If a wrong carrier is identified, the systems issues an error message and the technical service can track the lost carrier in the system.
Readers are as well integrated at the tube system interfaces to detect irregularities or to redirect wrong carriers. Deliveries always reach their planned destination and irregularities are corrected immediately.
In addition to standard features, RFID offers other possibilities:
- Station-specific requirements: Different requirements can be attributed to different kinds of carriers, for example by color-coding certain transports.
- Carrier maintenance: All transports can be counted via RFID, making it possible to determine when it is time for maintenance work.
- Automatic transports: A fixed destination can be attributed to every carrier ID, so that it is automatically sent back to this address without manual entering.
- Managing empty carriers: The current and target status of carrier stock is analysed to distribute empty carriers accordingly.
