WiFi RFID demonstration for resource tracking in a statewide disaster drill

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Disaster Response Technology
• Supply Chain Management in Healthcare

Background:

• Effective resource management is critical during disaster response.
• Traditional methods for tracking medical equipment and personnel can be slow and inefficient.
• The need for real-time location systems in healthcare emergencies is well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for tracking patients and medical equipment.
• To assess RFID capabilities in a simulated disaster response scenario across multiple healthcare facilities.
• To compare RFID-based asset location with traditional manual methods.

Main Methods:

• Deployed RFID infrastructure across two rural hospitals, an academic medical center, and vehicles.
• Tracked selected medical equipment using RFID tags.
• Utilized a central database at UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) to collect data from all sites.
• Tested the system during a statewide disaster drill, comparing RFID with manual location methods.

Main Results:

• RFID infrastructure proved effective for real-time resource identification and tracking.
• Volunteers located assets significantly faster using RFID compared to traditional methods.
• A mobile, GPS-enabled RFID system was developed for seamless region-wide tracking, integrating cellular and WiFi technologies.

Conclusions:

• RFID tracking provides real-time situational awareness across medical facilities during disasters.
• The system demonstrated potential to enhance the location and tracking of victims, staff, and equipment.
• Real-time geolocation via RFID offers greater efficiency and accuracy than manual tracking.