Pundits anticipate continued RFID adoption and growth in item-level apparel tagging in retail and in baggage tagging in the airline industry. Two other sectors that offer significant opportunity for RFID market expansion over the next decade are the hospital management and pharmaceutical industries--both pharmaceutical manufacturing and retail pharmacies. Pilot testing is under way in these areas, in applications ranging from patient identification wristbands and equipment/asset tracking to item-level tagging of prescription drugs, laboratory samples, patient files and more. If this trend continues, RFID promises to reduce drug counterfeiting and theft, increase patient safety, and bring greater visibility and efficiency to patient care.
