Arguments for my
position: Medication
errors and adverse effects in patients are preventable by the
implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in
medication administration.
Argument
1:Radio
frequency identification is a programmed identification system
that uses an RFID tag and an RFID reader (also known as an RFID
interrogator) to locate and track any materials, equipment, drugs,
blood products, animals, and even humans.
The
RFID tag is attached to samples that are being tracked, and
then an RFID interrogator reads the tag. The RFID tag
contains a microchip that acts as a “memory bank” that
consists of the samples’ unique identification number, their
components, the exact location as well as other forms of
information. The RFID interrogator is a wireless network
device that contains an antenna that processes the
information from the RFID tag and adds necessary input to
the tag humans (Hawrylak, Schimke, Hale, & Papa, 2011,
p. 3492).
Argument 2: Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) in 2004, radio
frequency identification can be surgically implanted into
patients’ triceps. Thus, professional nurses are able to scan the
RFID tag with an RFID interrogator that will obtain patient’s
identification and health records from the RFID Company’s online
database and management, such as VeriMed (Monahan & Fisher, 2010).
According to Kohler (2012), “an RFID tag can form part
of a hospital wristband, a blood product a biomedical implant
or any medical device” (p. 54).
Argument
3: Radio frequency identification is a significant tool for
nurses, because it enables healthcare professionals to apply
evidenced-based research on how to personalize radio frequency
identification system to augment patient identification and
prevent medication errors in a timely manner thereby enhancing
patient safety and reducing rates in medication error.
Among the modern nursing tools, the barcode system
was an important asset in the healthcare setting, because
this technology conveniently identifies patients with the
use of a scanner by reading the barcode number on their
wristbands. In order for the unique number to be read
correctly and successfully, the nurse aligns the barcode
scanner directly over the wristband to obtain a line of
sight between the scanner and wristband. Unlike the
barcode system, radio frequency identification can detect the
ID number from a distance that is still within the range of
the RFID reader. Also, RFID has the ability to read the
identification number on occasional and accidental episodes
when the RFID tag gets filthy, whereas the barcode system
needs to have a clean (no tears and smears) wristband in order
for the barcode number to process successfully. In a worst
case scenario, barcodes can incorrectly identify the patient if the
identification number on the wristband is torn or unclean
(Hawrylak, Schimke, Hale, & Papa, 2011, p. 3491).
Sources:
Hawrylak, P. J., Schimke, N.,
Hale, J., & Papa, M. (2011). Security risks associated with
radio frequency identification in medical environments. Journal of Medical Systems,
36(6), 3491–3505. doi:10.1007/s10916-011-9792-0
Database or web link: Health Management
database
Type of Source: scholarly
Is it peer reviewed, refereed or a legal
review? Yes
Are there citations inside the article? Yes
Bias evaluation: No Bias
Homeland Security.
(2017, April 25). Radio frequency identification (RFID): What
is it?. Department of
Homeland Security.
Retrieved 27 Sept. 2017, from
https://www.dhs.gov/radio-frequency-identification-rfid-what-it
Database
or web link: https://www.dhs.gov/radio-frequency-identification-rfid-what-it
Type
of Source: Credible source
Is it
peer reviewed, refereed or a legal review? No
Are
there citations inside the article? No
Bias evaluation: No bias. Credible source from
a US government research web site.
Kohler, M. (2012). RFID: A
medical miracle?. Medical
Laboratory Observer. Retrieved from
https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.adelphi.edu:2443/docview/1355900337?accountid=8204
Database or web link: ProQuest Central
database
Type of Source: Scholarly
Is it peer reviewed, refereed or a legal
review? Yes
Are there citations inside the article? No
Bias evaluation: No bias
Monahan,
T., & Fisher, J. A. (2010). Implanting inequality: Empirical
evidence of social and ethical risks of implantable
radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices. International
Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 26(4),
370-6.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.adelphi.edu:2048/10.1017/S0266462310001133
Database or web link: ProQuest Central
database
Type of Source: scholarly
Is it peer reviewed, refereed or a legal
review? Yes
