Authors (including presenting author) :
Leung YL(1),Leung KK(1),Fok TB(1),Wong DH(1)Huang YT(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Operating Theatre, North District Hospital
Keyword 1: :
patient safety
Keyword 2: :
operational reliability
Keyword 5: :
implant availability
Introduction :
Operating Theaters face significant challenges in managing high-value, time-sensitive medical inventory, including surgical implants and consumables. Traditional manual tracking methods are inefficient, labor-intensive, and divert clinical staff from their primary focus on patient care. Common issues include stockouts during critical procedures, waste from expired products, and the considerable burden of manual counts and audits. These inefficiencies directly impact patient safety, operational costs, and staff productivity.
Objectives :
The primary goal was to automate the tracking of high-value medical items to achieve near-perfect inventory accuracy, eliminate clinical stockouts, reduce waste, and enhance patient safety during surgical procedures.
Methodology :
Supported by the hospital charity fund, a dedicated store room was equipped with fixed RFID readers. Over 400 high-value orthopedic joint implants were tagged with RFID labels, with each tag providing unique identification data within the stock management system. The system automatically records item removal or return, providing updates every 5 minutes. Nurses can quickly check implant availability via a dashboard before each procedure. Additionally, operators use a handheld RFID reader to perform mobile audits in minutes without moving items, saving time and reducing risks associated with manual handling.
Result & Outcome :
The RFID system saves approximately 4 hours per week on manual inventory tasks, allowing staff to refocus on direct patient care. Real-time monitoring enables nurses to prevent implant stockouts before procedures, directly enhancing patient safety and operational reliability.
Conclusion
The RFID stock Management System was successfully implemented in the NDH Operating Theater. By saving a minimum of 4 hours of clinical time per week, it not only streamlines stocktaking but, more importantly, enhances patient safety and returns valuable staff time to clinical duties. Expanding this system to additional storage areas could extend these benefits to more patients.
