No reader, no worries

The basis for OPAL Health technology was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS). Karin Loidl from the institute explains what makes the tags so different: “In contrast to conventional RFID technology, OPAL Health tags are intelligent systems that can communicate with each other independently.” The network of sensors is integrated with central software – so users can check up on blood products or medical equipment via a browser, wherever they are. Furthermore, the system does not require readers – a key advantage for Professor Weisbach: “Staff are far more likely to accept the new technology if they don’t have to mess around with a reader at the patient’s bedside.”

A further benefit is that Fraunhofer IIS’s innovative protocol technology works using low transmission power. “This prevents interference with medical equipment, something that can be problematic with other wireless technologies. These OPAL Health tags only disrupt equipment at a distance of 7mm or less,” explains Loidl. “An incredibly short distance.” What’s more, the low transmission power results in low power consumption, greatly reducing maintenance effort. “If medical devices are equipped with tags that are configured to transmit data every ten minutes, we know they tags will last for two years – and we don’t need to schedule replacements,” highlights Dr. Martin Sedlmayr from the Erlangen Department for Medical IT.

And just like the blood products, once medical equipment is fitted with a tag, it becomes a “smart object”, actively communicating with a network of sensors. In Erlangen hospital, over 3,000 mobile medical devices and machines are deployed for anesthetics alone – these include syringe pumps, heaters, and ventilators. “It is almost impossible to keep track of which item is where at any given time,” says Sedlmayr. But with OPAL Health, it’s easy: “When a member of staff needs a syringe pump, they simply open a browser and run a search. And immediately, they receive information on the whereabouts of a suitable device.” In addition, OPAL Health makes life easier for maintenance engineers. They just type in the ID number of an item that needs servicing – and can call up its current location in a flash. “In the past, this would have taken up to half an hour,” recalls Sedlmayr.

Lower costs

Not only does the new system help employees, it also brings financial benefits – and not only because unused blood products are no longer discarded. “If OPAL Health technology can help us manage medical equipment more efficiently, we can dispense with one in ten devices,” estimates Sedlmayr. This would represent a significant saving in terms of capital expenditure and operating costs at a time when one third of all German hospitals are making a loss.

The fact that the use of OPAL Health technology does not have to be limited to monitoring blood products and medical equipment is something that Sedlmayr finds particularly promising in terms of future savings. “OPAL Health provides us with a smart platform that will enable us to wirelessly monitor other processes in the future.” For example, a wireless network could be effectively deployed for bed management. Or OPAL Health tags could simplify administration of drugs such as cystostatics, which can be particularly dangerous if they are accidentally confused with other medicines. “We might also deploy the technology to monitor donor organs because here, as with blood products, it is vital to ensure they are kept cool,” adds Sedlmayr.

Part one of article