Get over RFID concerns - Cavoukian   |  May 5, 2008  

By Peter Wolchak

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has the potential to save lives in the health-care sector, but concerns over security may stand in the way of deployment, according to a white paper released by Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian and HP Canada. The authors want to cut through this uncertainty over the application of RFID.

In the U.S., some health-care providers already use RFID-based systems to track equipment, instruments and sponges used in surgery to ensure that nothing is left behind inside a patient, and RFID-enabled labels track specimens, laboratory results and pharmaceutical products. There are also baby-and-mother matching systems that prevent mix-ups and abductions: the RFID system triggers a lock-down if an infant is improperly removed.

“The objective of our joint paper,” Cavoukian said, “is to assist health-care providers in understanding the current and potential applications of RFID technology, the potential benefits, the information privacy implications associated with its uses, and the steps that may be taken to mitigate any potential privacy risks.”

The paper, RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers, is available at www.ipc.on.ca.


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