Saarbruecken Clinic adds stocks of stored blood to its RFID pilot project

Munich, Feb 20, 2006, Now that blood bank supplies at Saarbruecken Clinic are equipped with RFID chips, patients can in the future be even more confident that there will be no mix-ups with transfusions and other blood-based treatments. In a combined effort, Siemens Business Services, Intel, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, RpDoc Solutions and IMP Computersysteme AG are set to extend the RFID pilot project already up and running in the clinic.

Back in 2005, Siemens Business Services chose Saarbruecken as the first hospital in Germany to try out an RFID project for patient identification by fitting all patients admitted to the clinic with a bracelet containing an RFID chip. In the future, this system will be extended to blood bank supplies for around 1,000 patients. When the blood bags reach the hospital, they are each equipped with an RFID chip on which a unique number has been stored. This number corresponds to an entry in a protected database containing information on the origin, designated purpose and recipient of the blood. When a nurse fetches a blood bag for a patient, she uses a PDA to read in both the chip on the packaging and the data on the patient’s RFID bracelet. Only if the data matches will the blood actually be used for this patient. This ensures patients always receive the right transfusion in the right quantity. The data involved is immediately added to the clinic’s process workflow and the patient’s data records.

Siemens Business Services acts as prime contractor. The technological equipment involved in the RFID solution includes notebooks from Fujitsu Siemens Computers with access to the clinic’s patient system, as well as Pocket Loox PDAs and Stylistic tablet PCs with Intel mobile technology. RpDoc Solutions is in charge of the software for medication plans and storage, as well as for checking the dosages involved in various treatments, including blood transfusions.

In April 2005, Siemens Business Services launched an RFID project at Saarbruecken Clinic for patient identification. Since then, all patients admitted to the clinic have been fitted with a bracelet equipped with an RFID chip bearing a unique patient number. Hospital staff use PDAs or tablet PCs with an RFID reader to access the data. This enables doctors and nursing staff to identify patients in a matter of seconds and also gives them online access to a protected database containing details of the patient’s medical history and the treatment and medication used so far.

The Saarbruecken project is based on an RFID solution already in use at the Jacobi Medical Center in New York City which has received several awards for its success in increasing patient safety.

Siemens Business Services is an internationally leading IT service provider.
This Siemens Group offers services all along the IT service chain from a single source - from consulting to systems integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. Thanks to comprehensive know-how and sector-specific expertise, the company provides measurable added value for its customers. With regard to outsourcing and IT maintenance, Siemens Business Services is among the top ten providers worldwide. Sales in fiscal year 2005 (ending 30 September 2005) came to around EUR 5,4 billion, 75 percent of which was achieved outside the Siemens organization. The company currently has approx. 39,000 employees worldwide. Further information at http://www.siemens.com/sbs.

Information Numner: SBS 200206.11e

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Jörn Roggenbuck

Press Office Siemens Business Services

Siemens Business Services

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