RADLogic RFID based Document and Record Management System
(press release)The paperless society is still not completely upon us and there are some situations where maintaining paper based records still make sense both for practical and commercial reasons.
A good example is in hospitals where hundreds to thousands of nurses record patient data on a regular basis using charts and paper based records that must be stored, transferred between departments, maintained and controlled.
Keeping track of documents and who is responsible for them at all times is a difficult task and is sometimes prone to human error.
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The software system developed at RADLogic allows paper based documents to be identified and tracked electronically using Radio-Frequency Identification techniques. A small tag (an adhesive label) is attached to documents that are to be controlled by the system and can be read at strategically placed points (e.g., Nurses' stations and document storage facilities). Each tag is unique, and is assigned to the corresponding record during patient registration (for example).
Record-Checkout Procedure
When records are to be transferred to another department, they are scanned by a reader at the nurses' station (along with the ID pass of the person requesting the transfer). The system software automatically records the documents and authorising person's IDs and also records the target destination through mouse or touch-pad selection. This information, along with date, time and place of the transaction is then stored in a centralised database that can be accessed by authorised personnel.
Record Checkin Procedure
When the records arrive at a destination, they are once again scanned, checked, and the updated status is recorded in the database. The system knows where the documents are and who is responsible for them at all times, greatly reducing the chances of records being mislaid, delivered to the wrong place, or even misappropriated.
Better Than Bar-Codes
Unlike bar-codes, RFID Tags do not require line of sight access to the tags to be read, and many tags can be read within an instant. RADLogic chose to use tags and readers from Magellan Technology to implement the system because their PJM Stack-Tag technology makes it possible to read many tags at one time, even when stacked on top of one another. This is not possible using bar-codes, nor using conventional RFID technology. RADLogic designed Magellan's stack-tag chips based on the International Standard ISO18000-3 mode 2. Consequently, we know the capability of the tags and know how to use them most effectively.
Using this technology, it is possible for a staff-member to check-out or check-in a bundle of documents at a time simply by placing the bundle into a document tray reader or by holding it in front of a panel reader for a fraction of a second. There is no need to individually scan each document.
In fact, it is even possible for each page of each document to be individually tagged if that is desirable for certain circumstances!
Time is valuable and minimising the administrative load allows staff to concentrate on more important duties. The Record Checkout software is very simple, intuitive and fast to use.
Record Storage Management
In situations where documents and records are held in long term storage, there is always an issue in finding documents when they next need to be accessed, and ensuring that they have been returned afterwards.
Using the RFID System and a small tunnel reader it is possible to scan an entire archive box full of tagged documents to check the contents. There is no need to manually sort through the box. Tunnel readers can be conveyor-fed to deal with huge qualtities of documents.
Boxes, documents and pages within documents can all be tagged and identified at the same time, easily and quickly, greatly simplifying the task of records management.
Controlling Pre-Existing Records
It is a simple matter to retrospectively make previous records trackable using the system. A tag is simply attached to the record and it is registered by entering a description of the document corresponding to the tag ID it has been assigned.
The software system provides administrator modes of operation to allow new documents and records to be added to the system and for existing records to be maintained.
The software runs under Windows and Linux operating systems and uses a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) back-end using Structured Query Language (SQL), making it possible to interface to almost any existing database.
For More Information
For more information or enquiries about the Document Management Software please contact: info@radlogic.com.
