# RFID Technology for Management and Tracking: e-Health Applications
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Optical** & **Radiofrequency** \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{QR/barcodes} & High-frequency (HF) & \multirow{4}{*}{Ultra high-frequency (UHF) RFID} \\  & radio frequency & & \\  & identification/near- & field communication & (868 MHz, 915 MHz) \\  & (RFID/NFC) (13.56 MHz) & & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Advantages} & Reading technology based & Can work even with non line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions between \\  & on image processing. & the reader and the tags. \\ \cline{2-3}  & Low cost of the readers. & High throughput (up to hundreds \\ \cline{2-3}  & Widespread and mature & & of tags read per second). \\ \cline{2-3}  & technology, users worldwide are & & Reading range up to 10 m. \\ \cline{2-3}  & familiarized with it. & & Capability to read several \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Disadvantagesages} & Can require a person to operate (increasing the & \multirow{4}{*}{Moderate to high cost of UHF} \\  & amount of work, or the risk of mistakes). & RFID readers and antennas. \\ \cline{2-3}  & Limited reading range. Requires & Limited reading range \\ \cline{2-3}  & line-of-sight (LOS) between & (25-50 cm). & \\ \cline{2-3}  & reader and the QR/barcode. & & Can be affected by multipath, \\ \cline{2-3}  & Only one barcode/QR code & & interferences (reducing \\ \cline{2-3}  & can be read at a time. & RFID system throughput \\ \cline{2-3}  & Read-only tags. & & and performance). \\ \cline{2-3}  & Subject to environmental & & \\ \cline{2-3}  & conditions (good visibility & & \\ \cline{2-3}  & and illumination). & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Summary of advantages and disadvantages of optical and radiofrequency technologies for people and asset tracking and monitoring [8; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. In most of the RFID-based systems for healthcare applications presented in Table 2, a survey has been conducted to evaluate the level of satisfaction and comfort of the employees (doctors, nurses) and patients. In general, there is a good acceptance of these systems as they effectively contribute to reduce medical errors, enhancing patients' monitoring and attention during hospitalization. The main complaints come from the need of adoption of new medical protocols (training of doctors and nurses), especially if they require additional tasks (e.g., approaching the items tagged to the NFC or RFID reader). This problem could be mitigated if UHF RFID systems, with longer reading range, were used. The compatibility and coexistence of the RFID-based system with already implanted ICT systems in the hospital is also an important issue [2; 22]. To achieve this goal, it is suggested to start with small RFID projects [15] (as the proof-of-concept presented in this contribution) ensuring that the tested system can be later scaled up to cover the entire hospital needs. Another issue, missed in the deployment and evaluation of the RFID systems cited in the literature review, is a proper characterization of the physical layer, such as the coverage of the RFID antennas or the selection of the RFID antennas' placement, to fulfill coverage and detectability requirements.