Implementation and Evaluation of a RFID Smart Cabinet to Improve Traceability and the Efficient Consumption of High Cost Medical Supplies in a Large Hospital

The efficiency of a smart cabinet with RFID technology to improve the information about inventory management for cardiothoracic surgery as well as for time savings, was assessed in a large reference hospital. In a 6-month study, the implemented operational RFID process (StocKey® Smart Cabinet) consisted of: i) product reception, registration and labelling in the general warehouse; ii) product storage in the cabinet and registered as inputs by radiofrequency; iii) products registered as outputs as required for surgery; iv) product assignment to a patient in the operating room; and v) return of products not used to the cabinet. Stock-outs, stock mismatches, urgent restocking, assignment of high-value medical products to patients, and time allocated by the supervisory staff to the stock management, were assessed on a monthly basis. 0% stock-outs and 0% stock mismatches using RFID were observed during the study. Monthly percentages of products requiring urgent restocking ranged from 0% to 13.3%. No incorrect assignments to patients of surgery products or prostheses were detected. The percentage of correct assignments increased from 36.1%–86.1% to 100% in the first 4–5 months. The total average time allocated by the supervisory staff to the whole logistic chain was reduced by 58% (995 min with the traditional manual system vs. 428 min with RFID). The RFID system showed the ability to monitor both the traceability and consumption per patient of high-value surgery products as well as contributed to significant time savings.