Don’t scan RFIDs in the hospital!

Warning! Hospitals have tested radio-frequency ID devices in a scanner and found that too many of them interfere with hospital equipment up to 6 metres away. The Corpus Callosum reports:

Radio Frequency IDentification tags (RFIDs) are little devices that communicate with other devices, sending an identification signal. You’ve probably seen them on various items purched in stores. They commonly are used for inventory control and theft prevention. They are increasingly used in a wide variety of applications.

Now, they have been found to interfere with medical devices. This includes critical items such as mechanical ventilators and external pacemakers.

The study was published in JAMA ($ for full access).

Read the comments as well for useful info. Or semi-useful. It seems that manufacturers of hospital devices don’t bother to shield them against interference.