RFID Medical Device Tracking2025-08-29T12:48:59+01:00

RFID Tracking for Healthcare and Community Care Settings

Real-time asset visibility. Lower risk. Fewer losses. Smarter operations.

Real-time asset visibility. Lower risk.
Fewer losses. Smarter operations.

RFID medical device tracking

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology enables the tracking and management of assets, equipment, and inventory without the need for manual scanning. Our iAssets solution transforms asset tracking in healthcare settings by providing point-in-time data, ensuring your team always has access to the resources they need โ€“ when they need them.

How iAssets passive RFID tracking works in healthcare

RFID tags are attached to medical equipment and other assets. These passive tags contain a unique identifier and are activated when they come into range of an RFID reader. The reader emits a signal that powers the tag, prompting it to transmit its data back. This enables point-in-time tracking of assets as they move through different areas, providing visibility across both hospital environments and community care settings.

Key components of RFID tracking

RFID tags

Passive low-cost RFID tags are affixed to medical equipment, devices, or supplies. These tags store data that can be read by RFID readers, transmitting location data information.

RFID readers

RFID readers capture signals from RFID tags, providing point-in-time location data. Readers can be placed in key areas like entrances, operating theatres, or storage rooms.

Handheld RFID scanners

These mobile devices scan for RFID-tagged equipment, beeping as they locate an item and reducing staff search time.

Centralised iAssets platform

Our iAssets software collects the data from RFID readers, enabling staff to monitor asset location, status, usage, and maintenance needs.

How passive RFID works

How it works

Passive RFID tags do not have their own power source. Instead, they rely on the energy from an RFID readerโ€™s radio waves to transmit data.

Key features

  • Cost-effective:ย Ideal for high-volume asset tracking.
  • No battery maintenance:ย Passive tags have an extended lifespan.
  • Shorter range:ย Typically used for items within a hospital room, storage area, or hallway.

Best suited for

  • Tracking low-cost or frequently used medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, bedpans).
  • Inventory management, ensuring stock levels are up-to-date.

Completely flexible RFID medical device tracking

iAssets RFID tracking can be applied in a wide range of healthcare contexts, including:

Point-in-time tracking

Our RFID medical device tracking provides continuous, point-in-time visibility of equipment, ensuring your staff always knows the location and status of critical assets.

Multi-tagging

Our unique multi-tagging capabilities maximise read rates regardless of how equipment is stored or transported.

Inventory management

With RFID equipment tracking, healthcare facilities can automate inventory tracking, ensuring that stock levels are always accurate and up to date. This reduces the risk of stockouts or overstocking, improves supply chain efficiency, and ensures critical items are always available.

Sterilisation and maintenance

iAssets RFID tracking can help monitor the lifecycle of medical equipment, from sterilisation cycles to maintenance schedules, ensuring assets comply with health and safety regulations.

Patient flow and bed management

Improve patient flow and bed management within hospitals. By integrating RFID with other hospital systems, you can ensure that patients are matched with the right resources quickly and accurately.

Customisable tagging

Choose from a variety of RFID tags suited to your assetsโ€™ needs, from small passive RFID tags for medical devices to larger passive tags for heavy equipment.

Pay-as-you-grow: scalable tracking solutions

Whether youโ€™re a small community care provider or part of a larger network, iAssets offers flexible and scalable solutions. Start small and expand as your needs growโ€”our platform adapts to your unique requirements.

โ€œRFID tracking has enabled us to reduce ward audit time from half a day to just 2 minutes.โ€

Andrew Raynes, CIO,
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Watch our webinar to learn about the benefits of passive RFID tracking

Technology-driven asset tracking for healthcare

Comprehensive, real-time tracking with flexible technology integration

iAssets supports multiple technologies to ensure you have the most accurate, real-time location of your equipment, from Wi-Fi, BLE, and RFID to GPS, ensuring reliable tracking in any healthcare setting.

Real Time Location Services (RTLS)

Flexible tracking technology designed to track anything, anywhere includes: BLE, Wi-Fi, GPS and hybrid tracking technology.

ย 

Passive RFID

For healthcare asset tracking and management in dynamic, high-volume environments like hospital wards or outpatient clinics.

ย 

Hybrid solution

Combine the strengths of RTLS and RFID in a flexible, scalable solution that grows with your healthcare environment and supports future demands.

ย 

Explore our related services

iAssets for hospitals

Discover how iAssets streamlines hospital asset tracking.

Enhancing Community Medical Care with iAssets Tracking Solution

iAssets for community care

Learn how community care benefits from iAssets tracking.

BodyGuardโ„ข T lockbox solution

Track BodyGuardโ„ข T syringe pumps in the hospital and community.

iRecords medical record management

Efficiently track and retrieve patient records in real-time.

Get in touch to harness RFID tracking for yourself

Ready to improve asset management and operational efficiency with RFID tracking? Get in touch with us today for a consultation or to request a demo of our iAssets solution.

Testimonials

โ€œThe top benefits it delivers for us daily are time savings, better critical maintenance processes and more importantly, improved patient careโ€

Stuart Barton, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

โ€œiFIT has allowed us to make significant savings. Specifically, staff reduction, more efficient pulling, higher rates of found missing files and reduced temporary set creationโ€

Simon Clayton, St Georgeโ€™s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

โ€œiFIT has ensured that 98% of our records get to the appointment on timeโ€

Andrew Raynes, Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

Partners and frameworks

We work with trusted partners and adhere to industry standards such as GS1 and Scan4Safety to ensure seamless integration and compliance. Explore our partner network and discover how we can help you implement iAssets in your community care setting.

Get in touch

Start improving community care today. Contact us to see how iAssets can streamline your operations, enhance care delivery, and ensure that your resources are always available when needed.


FAQs

iAssets RFID tracking offers several benefits to healthcare settings by providing point-in-time location data, which helps track equipment like wheelchairs and medical supplies, ensuring they are easy to find and reducing downtime. Additionally, it enhances asset visibility, giving a complete view of inventory across the facility, and reduces equipment loss by ensuring items are kept in their designated locations.

The iAssets passive RFID tracking system includes RFID tags attached to medical equipment, RFID readers that capture signals from these tags to provide location data, and handheld RFID scanners that allow staff to quickly locate equipment. The system also uses centralised iAssets software to collect data from RFID readers, enabling staff to monitor asset location, status, usage, and maintenance needs.

iAssets RFID tracking is highly customisable and can be applied in various healthcare contexts, including providing continuous, point-in-time tracking of equipment to ensure staff always know the location and status of critical assets. It also supports multi-tagging for maximised read rates, automates inventory management to maintain accurate stock levels, and aids in sterilisation and maintenance tracking to comply with health and safety regulations.

Passive RFID tags rely on the energy from RFID readers to transmit data and are cost-effective for tracking high-volume, low-cost items within a limited range, such as wheelchairs and bedpans, for inventory management. In contrast, active RFID tags have their own battery source, enabling them to transmit signals over longer distances for real-time tracking of high-value or critical assets like defibrillators, especially in large facilities or community care settings where equipment moves frequently. The iAssets solution is an example of passive RFID tracking.

iAssets RFID tracking improves operational efficiency by automating data capture and tracking, which significantly reduces the need for manual stocktaking and allows staff to dedicate more time to patient care. This automation not only streamlines asset management processes but also enhances the accuracy and reliability of inventory data.

The primary benefits of RFID technology in healthcare asset management include enhanced visibility of assets/accurate tracking inside a hospital, which ensures that medical equipment can be located quickly and easily, and a reduction in equipment loss and misplacement, which saves time and resources. RFID systems also streamline inventory management and improve compliance and reporting accuracy, contributing to overall operational efficiency and cost savings.

RFID tracking contributes to patient safety by ensuring that critical medical devices are readily available when needed and by providing accurate tracking of sterilisation and maintenance schedules, which helps to maintain compliance with health and safety regulations. This technology also enhances patient flow and bed management, ensuring that patients are matched with the right resources efficiently.

RFID technology is used to track a wide variety of medical equipment, ranging from high-value assets like defibrillators and portable diagnostic equipment to frequently used items such as wheelchairs and infusion pumps. It is also effective for managing inventory and ensuring the availability of medical supplies, as well as for tracking surgical instruments to ensure proper sterilisation.

Implementing RFID tracking systems significantly streamlines hospital workflows by automating the tracking and management of assets, which reduces the time staff spend searching for equipment and performing manual inventory checks. This efficiency allows healthcare providers to allocate more time to direct patient care and other critical tasks, enhancing overall productivity and job satisfaction.

When choosing between passive and active RFID tracking systems, healthcare organisations should consider their specific needs regarding the types of assets being tracked, the range and accuracy of tracking required, and the cost implications. Passive RFID is generally suitable for tracking a large volume of lower-cost items within a confined area, while active RFID is more appropriate for tracking high-value assets over greater distances and in real-time.

News, case studies & insights

NHS Tayside

NHS Tayside implemented iFIT to deal with the unsustainable volume of paper records - reducing space and saving time.