In northern Portugal, Centro Hospitalar successfully implemented a comprehensive optimization of hospital linen and uniform management by introducing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, which not only significantly reduced laundry costs, but also reduced the purchase of new clothes by more than half. It has brought significant economic benefits and sustainable development advantages to the hospital.
Why RFID?
Centro Hospitalar operates multiple primary care facilities within the Portuguese national health system, with 450 beds, as well as an emergency room, surgical suites and medical offices. The hospital had long faced challenges in linen and uniform management, including poor inventory control, high asset loss and over-ordering. To improve this situation, the hospital decided to introduce RFID technology to achieve refined management of the entire textile life cycle.
The hospital chose Polytex's RFID management system, which provides a unique identity for each textile item through high-frequency RFID cabinets, antennas and handheld readers. From sheets and pillowcases to employee uniforms, each item is tagged with RFID and managed uniformly through Polytex Total Care Manager software.
During the deployment process, the hospital first deployed clothing vending machines for employees in the surgical department. Employees authenticate themselves with a fingerprint reader at the beginning of their shift, and the machine then quickly distributes clean uniforms through a robotic arm. After completing their shift, employees need to return the uniforms at a designated location, and the RFID tags are read and the system records are updated.
In addition, the hospital has installed RFID readers and antennas in the laundry room, between departments, and at the hospital exit to monitor the flow of linens and uniforms. Trolley readers are used to read the tags of dirty clothes entering the laundry room and redistribute clean clothes to specific departments. Fixed reader antennas at the door monitor the hospital exit to prevent asset loss.
Significant results
Through the application of the RFID system, Centro Hospitalar has achieved significant results. First, laundry costs have been reduced by 15%, and the amount of clothes processed per week has been reduced from 18 tons to 16 tons. This is mainly due to the precise control of the number of sheets used by each department and the timely correction of employees' improper use.
Second, the purchase of new clothes has been reduced by more than half. The RFID system has helped the hospital identify and correct employees' hoarding behavior, such as one employee who was found to have hoarded 50 sets of uniforms. By preventing this from happening, the hospital has significantly reduced unnecessary uniform purchases and saved a lot of money every year.
These results have not only brought significant economic benefits to the hospital, but also promoted the sustainable development of the hospital. By reducing laundry costs and purchases, the hospital has reduced operating costs and improved resource utilization efficiency. At the same time, reducing the water and detergent required for excessive laundry is also in line with the hospital's environmental protection concept.
Miguel Pava, chairman of the hospital's board of directors, said that the introduction of the RFID system means a return on investment of less than two years and a transition to more sustainable operations. He emphasized that employees' positive response to the system and compliance with new requirements are the key to success.
With the successful application of the RFID system in the hospital, Centro Hospitalar plans to continue to expand its coverage in the next few years. The hospital plans to complete the introduction of unified dispensers and portal readers in intensive care and emergency room units in the first half of 2025 to achieve comprehensive coverage of textile management throughout the hospital.
The Portuguese hospital has achieved comprehensive optimization of linen and uniform management by introducing RFID technology, which not only reduced laundry costs and procurement volume, but also improved resource utilization efficiency and management level. This successful case provides useful reference and inspiration for other medical institutions.
This paper is from Ulink Media, Shenzhen, China, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China)
