Contactless smart cards mean safer medical centres in Australia

 29-Apr-15, Facility Management

Over the past few years, the healthcare sector has become increasingly dependent upon information technology. Contactless smart card technology has been used for many years in other industries, and is now helping to solve some longstanding thorny issues in the healthcare sector – safeguarding patients and staff, and protecting confidential patient information.

Image: Facility Management

While many hospitals around Australia have adopted smart card technology, medical centres and neighbourhood general practitioners (GPs) are yet to fully engage with it. The National Health Service (NHS), the UK’s public-funded healthcare system, adopted contactless smart cards in its medical centres several years ago, and the technology has filtered through to many GPs in the country as well. Germany has issued healthcare smart cards to its entire 80 million-strong population.

Though the most obvious benefit of contactless smart cards is to control physical access to buildings, other factors could deliver substantial benefits to Australian doctors as well, from secure storage of patient data, through to infection control.

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