title: Radio frequency identification applications in hospital environments.
abstract: Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has recently begun to receive increased interest from practitioners and academicians. This interest is driven by mandates from major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Metro Group, and the United States Department of Defense, in order to increase the efficiency and visibility of material and information flows in the supply chain. However, supply chain managers do not have a monopoly on the deployment of RFID. In this article, the authors discuss the potential benefits, the areas of applications, the implementation challenges, and the corresponding strategies of RFID in hospital environments.
authors.affiliation: Management Department at Bryant University, Smithfield, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wicks
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Visich
authors.forename: Suhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital / Q000145:classification* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008421:Materials Management, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011846:Radio Waves; D014481:United States