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Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) began to use RFID sensors to track the temperature of all refrigerators, freezers, liquid medicine heaters and blanket heaters in the center. The center uses Newbury Networks’ ActiveAsset software and AT320 active Wi-Fi RFID tags. This system uses the hospital’s existing Meru Wi-Fi network, and all equipment is expected to be labeled within two months.
Utilizing the existing wireless system, this 300-bed hospital currently only installs tags on the internal heating and cooling equipment, and installs Trapeze software on the TGMC server to compile the data of Wi-Fi Meru access points, such as each heating or The location of the refrigerator, its current temperature and temperature history, and send an alarm when needed.
When TGMC initially discussed this system with Trapeze, it only planned to install temperature-sensitive labels on the refrigerators and freezers that store medicines. However, the hospital expanded the application plan before the system was installed to include all refrigerators and freezers (not just those storing medicines), all heating or cooling medicines, equipment or sample containers, and heating or cooling of the canteen Electrical appliances. The hospital also labels blanket heaters. The hospital plans to use 120 tags.
Like all hospitals, TGMC must comply with Joint Commission regulations and regularly check the temperature of the refrigerator or freezer. Before adopting the Trapeze system, TGMC employees used pen and paper to record the temperature twice a day. The organization has been looking for a system that can use the existing Wi-Fi system to send ID codes and sensor data without adding other hardware (such as activators) to read all sensor tag data.
Unlike other manufacturers, Trapeze does not need to add hardware to the existing system to ensure that all sensor tags can be read. Jeff Sardella, TGMC network director, said Trapeze has improved the visibility of the cooling and heating equipment status and saved employees from manually checking the temperature. time.
The size of the Newbury AT320 active tag is 1.6 inches * 0.8 inches. According to Brian Wangerian, the company’s deputy director of business development, it transmits 2.4 GHz signals to existing access points at a rate of once every 15 seconds. The access point sends the data to the local management point, which then routes the information to the ActiveAsset software of the TGMC server. ActiveAsset software determines the identity of the device and also captures the temperature reading data.If the temperature exceeds the high or low threshold of the device, the software sends an alarm to the hospital management staff
The tag is installed on the inner or near back wall of the refrigerator or heater, so that the sensor is less sensitive to occasional temperature changes caused by opening the door. The tag captures the temperature and then sends the data through the wall. Everything in the system is working properly, but when the label is applied to the cold storage, there will be problems. Sardella said that because the cold storage walls are thicker, the signal is more difficult to be received by the access point. To solve this problem, Wangerian said, Newbury plans to develop a label with a sensor probe, or install the label outside and the temperature sensor inside, or add an access point near the cold storage.
Once the label is installed, Terrebonne employees log in to the ActiveAsset software, enter the ID code of the label, set the temperature rules and other data related to the refrigerator or heater. In total, the hospital plans to label 57 refrigerators, 34 freezers, 15 blanket heaters, or 16 liquid heaters.
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