Clinical Grade RTLS vs RFID The Common Misperception
The article clarifies the common misconception in healthcare that RTLS and RFID are interchangeable by explaining that while both are location-based services, RFID involves wireless data transfer via active, passive, or battery-assisted passive tags with varying signal and range capabilities, whereas RTLS typically uses these technologies to provide continuous real-time location tracking rather than just point-in-time detection.
Difference Between RTLS and RFID Tracking
It is common to hear people in the healthcare industry use the terms Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) interchangeably. While RTLS and RFID solutions are both classified as location-based services, the two differ. To better understand these systems, let's look at RTLS and RFID and their differences.
What Is RFID Tracking?
RFID is defined as the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data. Signal transmission occurs between two or more communication devices (i.e., a reader and a tag) to locate objects or people. There are three main types of RFID technologies to consider: active, passive, and battery-assisted passive.
- Passive RFID technology works only in proximity to specialized RFID readers, providing a "point-in-time" location. For example, in a retail environment, the reader sends a radio signal to a tagged item, and an alarm is triggered only when the tag is sensed close to the designated choke point.
- Active RFID uses tags that send out the signal to a reader every few seconds, similar to a cell phone and a tower. Trilateration software or other methods are then used to calculate the tagged object's position.
Different Types of RFID Tracking
RFID systems come in three different types:
- 1.Active RFID: Equipped with a transmitter and power source, usually a battery. These tags can transmit their own signal to a reader. Active tags can be either a transponder (sends data when it receives a radio signal from a reader) or a beacon (transmits data continuously at pre-set intervals).
- 2.Passive RFID: Uses electromagnetic energy transmitted by the reader instead of a power source. The reader and antenna send signals to the tag to power it, and the tag reflects the energy back to the reader. Passive RFID tags have a limited range of only a few feet.
- 3.Battery-assisted passive RFID: Combines the configuration of a passive system with a power source. The embedded battery enables the tags to transmit data over greater distances with quicker response times.
What Is RTLS Tracking?
RTLS solutions automatically identify and track the location of an asset, individual, or other object at all times as it moves through a confined area, such as a healthcare facility. These systems consist of various tags and badges, platforms, network appliances, and other components like servers, middleware, and end-user software.
RTLS in healthcare typically works through a global wireless network of location infrastructure and active RFID sensors and tags that are attached to patients, staff, or equipment. It follows movements, locates whereabouts, and determines the end destination, all in real time. These systems can also help find a misplaced asset or wandering patient, making them vital for improving efficiency.
Different Types of RTLS Tracking
There are various locating architectures for RTLS such as legacy infrared (IR), Second Generation Infrared (Gen2IR™), Ultrasound, Low-Frequency RF, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Ultra Wideband (UWB). Depending on the technology platform chosen, the system locates the tags within varying degrees of granularity and reliability.
- 1.Estimated Location: Relies on the trilateration of sensor readings to identify an object's location within a reasonable proximity. For example, with RF-based technologies like Wi-Fi, it can be difficult to determine if an object is on one side of a wall or another as RF signals can penetrate floors and walls.
- 2.Selective Certainty: By adding supplemental location infrastructure components to rooms or other important locations, precise location granularity can be achieved in select areas. Technologies like Infrared, where invisible light signals are constrained within the room, are often used.
- 3.Clinical Grade: A clinical-grade network leverages technologies that support sub-room level accuracy as well as immediate and reliable communication and update speeds. Not only is location known, but key measures of performance can be tracked, processes can be streamlined, and predictive tools can be employed.
The RTLS platform that can deliver the best locating solution is a "multi-mode" approach that captures the strengths of complementary technologies and eliminates the individual solution weaknesses that create gaps in service reliability. For example, combining Gen2IR, active-RFID, Wi-Fi, and BLE can deliver levels of precision and flexibility that are unachievable by any single technology. This RTLS solution provides the certainty-based location accuracy, reliability, speed, and safety required to generate clinically meaningful visibility and awareness in critical areas, while controlling costs and providing estimated location where only general visibility is needed.
RTLS vs. RFID: What Is the Difference?
The term RTLS emerged in 1998 and was used to describe and differentiate newer technology that went beyond the automatic identification capabilities and "last-seen" technology of traditional RFID systems. While Real-Time Location Systems often leverage active RFID tags and badges, and both provide location-based services, each solution works differently.
Main Differences Between RTLS and RFID Tracking
- Tracking Capabilities: RTLS offers the advantage of continuously monitoring movements and the precise locating of tagged people or objects in real time. RFID solutions only track assets close to their readers, collecting point-in-time visibility or a last-seen data point.
- Range: RTLS solutions usually cover a greater range than RFID. RFID systems use radio frequencies and require a clear line of sight for tracking, so tags locate assets in close proximity. RTLS can track across the entire hospital via a global network.
- Accuracy: Certain RTLS systems can provide certainty-based location accuracy, with precise and continuous updates in real-time. The location accuracy of RFID decreases the further the tagged person or item is from the reader. RFID systems are also more sensitive to signal interference.
- Purpose: RFID solutions are excellent for tracking movements such as entering and exiting a building or taking an accurate inventory count. RTLS tracking is useful for time-sensitive locating needs by providing accurate and precise location data. In a healthcare facility, RTLS tracking can help locate staff and patients quickly, improving workflow, efficiency, and quality of care.
Choose the Right Solution for Your Needs
Tracking solutions are beneficial in numerous applications and have proven to be indispensable for efficiency in healthcare settings. In an environment where multiple occurrences happen simultaneously, it is best to have a system that helps manage all essential components.
Related
Clinical-Grade RTLS vs RFID – The Common Misperception
The article clarifies the common misconception in healthcare that RFID and RTLS are interchangeable by explaining that while both are location-based services, RFID uses electromagnetic fields to transfer data through active, passive, or battery-assisted passive tags for point-in-time or continuous tracking, whereas RTLS involves more complex systems for real-time tracking and location calculation.
Questions Hospital Staff Is Asking That RTLS Tech Answers
The article explains how real-time location systems (RTLS), using technologies like RFID and Bluetooth, enable hospital staff—especially nurses—to efficiently track the precise locations of patients, equipment, and personnel in real time, thereby streamlining clinical workflows, reducing wait times, enhancing patient care, and automating routine tasks across large hospital campuses.
7 Tips to Improve Patient Flow in Hospitals
The article discusses how hospitals can enhance patient flow—the efficient movement of patients from arrival to discharge—by leveraging IoT technologies and strategies such as real-time location systems integrated with electronic health records, which reduce wait times, improve care quality, decrease costs, and increase staff satisfaction, exemplified by Oregon Medical Group's successful implementation of CenTrak's patient flow software to optimize workflow despite challenging facility layouts.
The Future of IoT in Healthcare
The article discusses how IoT technologies, particularly location and sensing services like Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS), are revolutionizing healthcare by enhancing patient care, operational efficiency, and cost savings—highlighting significant investments and returns such as Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's multi-million dollar savings from asset management and system cost avoidance—while emphasizing the importance of practical, cost-effective, and organization-specific IT solutions in the continuously evolving healthcare landscape.
Achieving the Quintuple Aim of Healthcare: How RTLS Can Help
Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) enhance healthcare by supporting the Quintuple Aim—improving patient experience through efficient workflows, wayfinding, and communication; advancing population health; reducing costs via optimized resource management; improving healthcare providers' work life; and fostering care team satisfaction through real-time tracking of equipment, staff, and patients.
Why Hospital Executives Need RTLS Strategy Initiatives
Caryn Hewitt, a seasoned healthcare executive with nearly 40 years of experience, emphasizes that hospital leaders should integrate Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) into their strategy to gain real-time operational visibility, primarily through asset tracking and management, which leads to significant cost savings by optimizing equipment utilization and reducing unnecessary purchases or rentals.