Introduction of an RFID tag system to a large hospital and the practical usage of the data obtained

Surgical instruments are sterilized and reused. The number of surgical instruments that must be managed can be up to 100 for one operation. Counting instruments before and after an operation and identifying each instrument when storing them in a container after sterilization are indispensable to patient safety, and in the past have required a great amount of hand labor. To improve efficiency, Shimane University Hospital introduced a system called SIMSAFE that uses RFID tags, with good results. The data obtained from SIMSAFE promotes effective and efficient instrument management. This paper introduces the management of surgical instruments when using SIMSAFE and introduces the results of a preliminary data analysis.