1) The document proposes using RFID technology to improve scheduling and route planning for pickup and delivery of medical instruments at a hospital. 2) Currently, the pickup and delivery process lacks visibility, has no standard processes, and relies on manual recording. RFID technology could provide real-time visibility of operations to optimize scheduling and routing. 3) An RFID-enabled system is proposed to automatically trigger replenishment requests, record information electronically, estimate employee workload, and enable dynamic routing - improving efficiency of the pickup and delivery process.

1. A proposal of Using RFID Technology in Improving Scheduling and
Route Planning for Pickup and Delivery of Medical Instruments at
a Hospital
Afrooz Moatari-Kazerouni1 and Ygal Bendavid2
1,2 ESG-UQAM, Montreal, Canada
6th International MCETECH Conference
May 12-15th, 2015
Montreal (Quebec) Canada

2. Presentation outline
• IoT and RFID technology
• Context of study
– Process
– Issues
• Research objectives and approach
• Impact of RFID technology
2

3. IoT is…
“A dynamic global network infrastructure with self-
configuring capabilities based on standard and
interoperable communication protocols where physical and
virtual things have identities, physical attributes, virtual
personalities, use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly
integrated into the information network.”
3

4. IoT and RFID technologies
4
RFID technology as a data capture and sensing layer:
Allows tagged objects to communicate electronically, in real time, with
its environment through the global infrastructure of wireless internet
(communication layer) where automated transactions can be made.
Information from an RFID tagged object, turns it into a potential
“smart” object, enabling access and monitoring them over an “Internet
of connected things”.

5. Context of study
• Case study at a hospital in Montreal, Canada
• Construction of a new building
– Dilapidated infrastructure
– Space deficiencies
• Transfer of the most acute and critical cares to
the new infrastructure
– Central Sterilization Department (CSD)
5

6. CSD Clinical Units
Soiled pickup and clean delivery
process
6

7. Issues with existing pickup and
delivery processes
• Lack of visibility on pickup and delivery
requirements
• No standard processes
• Manual recording of pickup and delivery
information by CSD employees
• No specific route path for pickups and delivery
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8. Research Objectives
Assess performance of an RFID enabled traceability
system to improve efficiency of scheduling and
route planning for pickup and delivery of items to
clinical units
– Facilitating replenishment process based on real
needs
– Estimating required number of CSD employees
– Planning the most efficient traveling routes (with the
least distance)
8

9. Research approach
• 70 clinical units
• Studying “As-Is” situation
• Data collection: shadowing CSD employees
– Locations
– Times
– Types of items
– Loads
• Frequency of pickup and deliveries
• Required number of employees to ensure services
9

10. Impact of RFID technology
• Real-time visibility on operations and improve decision
marking
– Automatically trigger pickup and replenishment requests
Stopping at every unit vs. Request on mobile device
Pre-planned schedules vs. Dynamic routing
– Computerize recording and archiving of information for the
time, quantity, destination, responsible…
– Better estimation of employee’s workload
• An adaptive service policy to satisfy requests
10

11. RFID technology: how?
• Passive UHF RFID
• RFID readers and antennas at:
– Soiled rooms
– Dropping areas
– CSD
11

12. Conclusion
• Hospital real time management:
– Automated access to accurate, timely and precise
information on:
• replenishment needs at the point of use
• locating carts and instruments
• positioning of employees
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• Envisioning design of an RFID solution
• Modeling the new processes
• Simulating impacts of the solution on
replenishment processes
• Developing a prototype of the system to
– validate technical feasibility
– performance improvement
IoT

13. Thank you!
UQAM, School of business
315 Ste-Catherine est
Montréal (Québec) Canada
H2X 3X2
Afrooz Moatari-Kazerouni
moatari_kazerouni.afrooz@courrier.uqam.ca