By Sheila Dwyer, MedTech1 StaffAn overnight stay at the hospital can make anyone tense. The laundry list of tasks to complete before you undergo surgery or observation must wait until you and various hospital staff members exchange information.
First, you have to give your insurance and personal information to the admitting desk. Your doctor needs to evaluate your medication requirements and give orders for your care. You find yourself in an avalanche of paperwork and repeated questions. It is enough to give a patient a headache.
Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC) is working to help patients and hospital staff streamline their insurance, account, and medical information into one secure location: a band on your wrist. The Smart Band (tm) is one indication that hospitals and the medical device industry are working overtime to meet the needs of patients.
Using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology, the Smart Band (tm)wristband hides a computer chip and antenna that allow patient information to be written to, and retrieved from, the Smart Band (tm) at any time. Smart Band (tm) comes with a portable, handheld RFID scanner or reader that gives doctors and nurses the freedom to scan a patient’s Smart Band (tm) anywhere.
“The Smart Band (tm) combines the accuracy and security of RFID technology all within a convenient, tamper-resistant, and environmentally rugged wristband,” says James Bensman, Market Development Manager at PDC.
This new medical device allows users to record and transfer data from their computer systems to the Smart Band (tm), possibly eliminating transcription errors and the need for patients to provide their information several times.
Richard O’Rourke, whose total hip replacement surgery required a hospital stay, finds the Smart Band (tm) technology appealing. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” he says. “I haven’t had the chance to use it but I think it will be a great tool in the future.”
A doctor or nurse, standing several feet away, can scan the Smart Band (tm) without waking a sleeping patient. This feature appeals to Shiva Damghani, who has spent time in hospitals with family members. “I definitely think it’s a good idea not to disturb some patients,” Damghani says. “They need their rest.”
For more information on the Smart Band (tm) System, visit the PDC Web site.
