RFIDs vs. Hospital Equipment

RFIDs can switch off equipment used in hospitals. Researchers tested several types of devices used to save lives in close proximity to RFIDs and found that the devices, in a number of instances, interfered with the equipment’s functioning.

A total of 123 tests, three on each machine, were carried out, and 34 produced an “incident” in which the RFID appeared to have an effect – 24 of which were deemed either “significant” or “hazardous”.

The use of RFIDs in hospitals has begun to grow. The devices are being used for tasks such as patient identification, inventory management, and allowing only relevant hospital staff to view a patient’s medical records.

Hospitals will need to consider the new findings as they continue to employ this kind of technology. Families will find little consolation in the fact that their medical records were kept safe by the same gadget that mistakenly turned off their loved one’s ventilator. They may also take legal action, and there’s too much of that going around already.