Applying the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Device in King Abdul Aziz Hospital in the Emergency Department to Reduce the Prevalence of Medication Error

Applying the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Device in King Abdul Aziz Hospital in the Emergency Department to Reduce the Prevalence of Medication Error
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Executive Summary /Abstract
The proposed program focuses on the application of the RFID device in the emergency department of the King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Jeddah so as to decrease the occurrence of medication errors. The RFID is a technology that makes use of radio waves to transmit data from an electronic tag on an object through a reader so as to recognize and track that specific object. The RFID technology is crucial since it could be used to retrieve patient information speedily and monitor the locations of the patients within the healthcare facility. It could help to accurately match patients with their treatments and medicines. In this way, it aids in reducing medication errors. The goal of the project is to improve patient safety at King Adbulaziz Hospital through the use of RFID technology for decreasing medication errors. The objectives are to apply RFID system in the emergency department of the hospital for use by nurses and other healthcare practitioners; to improve the ordering, dispensing and administration of medications at the hospital; and to ensure that the medications which are administered actually match the patients accurately. The project is both economically and operationally feasible. The breakeven point for the project is calculated as follows: 25,770 ч (25 – 13.5) = 2,240.8 units. What this means is that the emergency department should provide emergency services to 2,241 patients so as to cover its total expenditures. At this level of sales, the hospital would just breakeven but they will not make any profit. The clients who will use the RFID system at the healthcare facility include both children and adults.
Applying the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Device in King Abdulaziz Hospital in the Emergency Department to Reduce the Prevalence of Medication Error
King Abdul Aziz Hospital is one of the largest healthcare facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A medication error refers to any error that occurs during the medication process, notwithstanding whether the patient experiences any adverse consequences. Medication errors often take place during the phases of drug ordering and drug administration (Anshel & Levitan, 2010). The errors could take a number of different forms, for instance, missed dosage, wrong route, wrong time of administration, known allergy, wrong medicine delivered/prescribed, or the wrong dosage administered to the patient (Karanjekar & Shrotriya, 2015). While Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been utilized extensively in other areas such as supply chain and transportation, its use in healthcare, particularly in the prevention of medication errors is new. For the present paper, the proposed project is applying a RFID device in the emergency department of King Abdulaziz Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the purpose of lowering the prevalence of medication errors. Using relevant literature and financial data, this paper describes the financial management of the aforementioned project, projecting supply, capital and manpower. A cost-benefit analysis is performed.
Description of the Financial Project
The program focuses on the application of the RFID device in the emergency department of the King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Jeddah so as to decrease the occurrence of medication errors. The RFID is a technology which makes use of radio waves in transmitting data from an electronic tag, commonly referred to as an RFID tag, which is affixed to an object, through a reader in order to identify and track that particular object (Marcos, Bilbao & Ramos, 2012). The radio frequency identification is already being employed in tracking and tracing victims in disaster situations. Data could be gathered in real time and be instantly available to the emergency professionals and saves time by the radio frequency identification device. Emergency professionals, healthcare organizations and crisis management teams have access to crucial data and information via a computer database (Anshel & Levitan, 2010). Radio frequency identification was initially explored as a method for identifying allied aircrafts during the Second World War. These days, the technology has been applied effectively in a wide range of areas such as transportation, agriculture, supply chain, services and manufacturing among others (Marcos, Bilbao & Ramos, 2012).
Medication errors in hospitals and other healthcare organizations could be avoided by creating a safer healthcare system. The radio frequency identification system has in recent times been applied in hospital management. This technology is important as it can be used to retrieve patient information rapidly and monitor the locations of the patients within the hospital (Pei Ran, Bo Han & Fan, 2008). Several researchers have confirmed the effectiveness of RFID technology in the prevention of medication errors. Ajami (2013) noted that in the emergency room, the main problem is access to medical specialists when they are in a different area within the healthcare organization. The nursing staff in the emergency department pages the physician regarding the emergency, but the physician fails to respond as they are busy with something else or with another patient elsewhere in the facility (Ajami, 2013). RFID technology could help in tracking patients, nurses or physicians so as to deliver better healthcare services to treat patients (Ajami, 2013). The technology could also be used in tracking and medical products (Ajami, 2013).
According to Peris-Lopez et al., (2011), the technology allows healthcare professionals to reduce costs, save time and improve the safety of patients. With regard to decreasing medication errors, a major purpose that RFID technology could have in a hospital is validation, which entails assuring that a given action has occurred or that the required medicine is on hand. Using RFID technology for validation could greatly decrease medication errors (Marcos, Bilbao & Ramos, 2012). During validation, this technology could be used in verifying that the patient who is being treated is actually the right patient. It would also verify that the treatment which is about to take place is, in fact, suitable and apt (Marcos, Bilbao & Ramos, 2012; Karanjekar & Shrotriya, 2015).
The validation is a helpful way that healthcare practitioners use to ensure quality in healthcare settings. Anshel and Levitan (2010) also demonstrated the usefulness of the technology in the reduction of medication errors in healthcare facilities. RFID could help to accurately match patients with their treatments and medicines. In this way, it aids in reducing medication errors (Anshel & Levitan, 2010). In essence, the safety of patients is what drives the adoption of RFID technology in hospitals. Such systems allow a hospital to track reliably from ordering of medications for patients, through dispensing and drug administration at the patient’s bedside. The system cuts down on medication errors and in so doing it enhances patient safety significantly (Pei Ran, Bo Han & Fan, 2008).
The review of existing literature on the subject matter has demonstrated that the use of RFID technology within the emergency department can, in fact, aid in the reduction of medication errors. In the proposed project, this technology would be applied to King Abdulaziz Hospital, which a major hospital in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the RFID system would be applied to the emergency department of this healthcare facility. It is important to mention that the RFID system that would be deployed at the emergency department of King Abdulaziz Hospital would be customized to this specific organization. This will ensure that the system meets the exact needs of the hospital pertaining to lowering occurrences of medication errors and improving patient safety.
Project Purpose, Goals and Objectives
The organization, which is, King Abdulaziz Hospital, is situated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It uses a vertical organizational structure with several layers of management and most staff members work in narrow, very specific, low-authority roles. The vertical organizational structure at King Abdulaziz Hospital ensures that tasks are carried out correctly and exactly (Dedahanov, Rhee & Yoon, 2017). The facility has various departments, including the emergency department, medical surgical, financial, human resources, operations, nursing and medical non-operational department among others.
Goals
To improve patient safety at King Adbulaziz Hospital through the use of RFID technology for decreasing medication errors.
Objectives
To apply RFID system in the emergency department of the hospital for use by nurses and other healthcare practitioners
To improve the ordering, dispensing and administration of medications at the hospital
To ensure that the medications which are administered match the patients accurately
To ensure that the correct medicine is administered to the correct patient through the correct route at the right time and at the correct amount of dosage.
To reduce the costs associated with medication errors at the healthcare facility
With regard to the feasibility of the project, it is considered both economically and operationally feasible. This is because King Abdulaziz Hospital, which is financed by the Saudi Arabia’s ministry of health, has the financial capital from the health ministry required to procure the necessary RFID technology for deployment at its emergency department to reduce medication errors. Put simply, the hospital, which is a public healthcare facility, would be able to afford the costs related to the deployment of the new technology at the hospital. In addition, the project is economically feasible considering that it would save ...