While most surgical technology is intended to aid surgeons and surgical assistants, some is created to help patients and their family members. Such is the case with smartcard technology, a technology used to ensure that only authorized family members remain in the surgical and post-operative areas, and that intruders don’t interfere with the work of the doctors, nurses, and surgeons.
The system, which is currently being used by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, uses a disposable ID bracelet loaded with a patient’s identification, date of admission, and their physician’s name and contact number. The general medical opinion is that these kinds of technologies are critical to improving healthcare from both a patient and doctor standpoint. Many hospitals across the country are using smartcard technology, in the form of ID bracelets and smart ID tags.
Although the technology has become the norm in hospitals and clinics overseas, the United States has been slow to embrace healthcare smartcards. Countries with national healthcare systems, like France and Germany, have already issued over 150 million smartcards to date. But, the United States has stronger privacy regulations which has slowed the implementation.
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