Implementing Radio Frequency Identification within the Perioperative Process: A Case Study Perspective

As a technology solution, radio frequency identification (RFID) has proven increased efficiency and accuracy within traditional production and inventory control environments. RFID also offers increased transparency, accountability, and quality across the healthcare industry. This paper provides an a priori perspective to implementing RFID applications in a hospital environment. The paper describes, examines, and discusses the opportunities and challenges that RFID poses across an individual hospital’s perioperative and auxiliary services. Based on an 87-month longitudinal study of a large 909 registered-bed teaching hospital, this paper investigates the complexity of technological change dynamics, integrated information systems, as well as the benefits and learning curves associated with implementing RFID technology in a hospital’s perioperative processes. This paper also provides theoretical and practical implications, as well as study limitations.