Mobile Aspects, US-based RFID solutions provider, has been granted patent for its iRIScope cabinet, which uses RFID-enabled technology to control the spread of infection through flexible endoscopes.
It also tracks and timestamps an endoscope's movements from storage to use to reprocessing and back into storage.
The endoscopes come with washable RFID tags and hung in the iRIScope cabinet. A user has to scan his ID badge and the patient barcode to open the unlocked doors and then pull out a scope.
The RFID sensors in the cabinet then identify which scope was removed, while the software timestamps and electronically documents the scope's removal, besides finding out which procedure it is being used for and who took it.
The scope needs to be cleaned and reprocessed once the procedure is over. Each movement associated with the reprocessing is timestamped and electronically documented by the software.
Following the completion of the entire reprocessing stage, the scope's usage cycle is completed and then it is again hung to dry in the iRIScope cabinet.
The system offers electronic reporting at the individual scope- and user-levels in detail.
These reports can be accessed within seconds, and are vital to maintain good documentation. Besides, they are essential in case there is a compliance breach or any inventory management issues like recalls or repairs.
In case of a protocol compliance breach, an unused scope needs to be reprocessed. If a scope has been missing for 24 hours, alerts go off. Due to the Red Alert feature, the cabinet that features the breached scope turns red, locks, and sends an alert to designated emails and/or smartphones.
Mobile Aspects president and CEO Suneil Mandava said, "Flexible endoscope reprocessing has become a prominent patient safety concern. Therefore, we developed iRIScope to prevent the spread of infections, standardize protocols, and provide reliable electronic documentation."
Image: Mobile Aspect's iRIScope cabinet with the Red Alert feature. Photo: Courtesy of Business Wire.
