A phased approach to implementing radio frequency identification technologies within the perioperative process

As a technology solution, radio frequency identification (RFID) has proven increased efficiency and accuracy within traditional production and inventory control environments. Likewise, RFID also offers increased transparency, accountability, and quality across the healthcare industry. Specifically, this paper provides an a priori perspective to implementing RFID applications in the hospital environment within the perioperative process. The paper describes, examines, and discusses the opportunities and challenges that RFID technologies pose to an individual hospital's perioperative process and supporting auxiliary services. Based on an 87-month longitudinal study of a large 909 registered-bed teaching hospital, this paper investigates the complexity of technological change dynamics, integrated information systems, as well as the benefits and learning curves associated with implementing RFID technology in a hospital's perioperative process. This paper also provides theoretical and practical implications, as well as study limitations. © 2013 IUPESM and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.