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Published July 2020
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Case Study

EPC/RFID: An effective method for realtime asset management

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Key Results

Real-time access to asset information whenever needed

98% of very high-risk device compliance achieved for PPM

The problem

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) had thousands of assets and medical devices to manage across the trust’s three acute sites. But with no digital or automated solution in place, efficiently tracking its extensive asset inventory of 1,470 beds and 37,000 medical devices became a near impossible task.

Much of the equipment was managed manually and, as a result, pieces were frequently misplaced or registered as “missing”.

The solution

Given the benefits of RFID (radio frequency identification) in retail, to provide accurate stock visibility, the trust opted to introduce passive UHF EPC/RFID tagging as a means to track and trace the high-value equipment in the trust’s medical equipment library.

This way, they could track their assets as they moved around the hospital to gain greater real-time insights into the availability and location of their medical equipment.

"GS1 standards and EPC/RFID-based tracking have taken medical engineering to another level, enabling higher compliance of preventative maintenance and spend on medical devices."

Andy Barrow, head of medical Engineering and radiology maintenance

The results

Now, less time is wasted looking for medical devices as medical engineers can quickly identify and locate devices within minutes. This is also prevent delays to patient care as equipment is available when needed.

The trust has realised a consistent increase in overall planned preventive maintenance (PPM) compliance, achieving 98 per cent of very high-risk device compliance. As a result, critical PPM activities can be performed on time and even ahead of schedule.

Fewer medical devices have also been purchased since the new asset management process has reduced the amount of money spent on procuring surplus equipment.

Submit a case study

If you would like to submit a case study demonstrating how your trust has implemented GS1 standards, email us at healthcare.casestudies@gs1uk.org

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