RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Radio-Frequency Tracking of Respiratory Equipment: Rationale and Early Experience at the Cleveland Clinic JF Respiratory Care FD American Association for Respiratory Care SP 2069 OP 2075 DO 10.4187/respcare.02545 VO 58 IS 12 A1 James K Stoller A1 Vincent Roberts A1 David Matt A1 Leslie Chom A1 Madhu Sasidhar A1 Robert L Chatburn YR 2013 UL http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/58/12/2069.abstract AB BACKGROUND: When respiratory therapists (RTs) seek respiratory care equipment, finding it quickly is desirable, both to expedite patient care and to avert RTs wasting time. To optimize RTs' ability to quickly locate ventilators, we developed and implemented a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging system called eTrak. METHODS: The Clinical Engineering and Information Technology groups at Cleveland Clinic collaboratively developed a Wi-Fi-based RFID program that used active RFID tags. Altogether, 218 ventilators, 82 noninvasive ventilators, and various non-respiratory equipment were tagged, beginning in March 2010. We calculated the difference in time required to locate equipment before versus after implementation. RESULTS: The eTrak system had a mean 145 log-ons per week over the first year of use, and was associated with a decreased time required for RTs to locate ventilators: median 18 min (range 1–45 min) versus 3 min (range 1–6 min) (P < .001). Surveys of RTs regarding whether equipment was hard to find before versus after implementing eTrak showed a non-significant trend toward improvement. CONCLUSIONS: An RFID tracking system for respiratory equipment shortened the time to locate ventilators and non-significantly improved RT satisfaction with finding equipment. RFID tagging of equipment warrants further investigation.