Radio frequency identification: A case study of healthcare organisations

RFID technology is actually considered a hot topic in all scientific areas and has been described as a major enabling technology for the automation of many processes. Although it is not a new technology it has only recently come to the awareness of the public and is widely used in many sectors and particularly in healthcare. This paper aims to illustrate the utilisation of the RFID technology in healthcare, more precisely in infant security systems within the hospitals. To achieve this objective a case study about the experience of Portuguese hospitals in this system is presented and highlighted the main advantages reached with its utilisation. Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.