Dr. Ralf Knels

Medical Vice Director, Institute Dresden - German Red Cross

Speaks at ID WORLD on Healthcare

Dr. Ralf Knels is Medical Vice Director of Institute Dresden German Red Cross-Blood Donation Service East. He is a specialist in transfusion medicine. He has worked as a Medical doctor in urology from 1990 to 1996. Since 1996, he is working in transfusion medicine as examiner, as head of controlling, as head of manufacturing and since 2005 as Qualified Person. Since 1997 he is responsible for the coordination of the blood bank software in Saxony. Dr. Ralf Knels is the Representative for Eurocode IBLS by the standardization of Eurocode as a DIN (German Standardization Institute) standard. Experience with RFID-trials since 2003.

"Radio frequency identification:
an experience in transfusion medicine"

The production and release of blood products are subject to rigorous regulations in the European Union, and Germany in particular. These regulations result from various problems in the handling of blood products with sometimes fatal consequences for the recipients. So there are already a number of data-management solutions to support these various tasks of logistic, but the direct temperature control of the products is an open issue.

The lecture deals with the pro and cons included cost-benefit-relationship of RFID-technology and espacially the recording of the “temperature history” with semiactive labels (e.g. Vario Sense, KSW Microtec AG Dresden, Germany) in transfusion medicine and in health care in generally.