TAGGING SYSTEM FOR NEWBORN BABIES USING RFID SYSTEM (BabyTraXX)

This paper proposes a new tagging system for newborn babies using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system. Common practice in Malaysia, newborn babies is tagged with paper bracelet that has their mother’s name written on it. This tagged can be easily removed and comes with no security features. As the number of newborn babies is increasing everyday, ensuring these babies are not mismatched and abducted have become challenging even in the most modern hospitals. Monitoring the movement of these babies also has become challenging as no system may identify or alert hospital security when they are taken out from the ward by unauthorized people and of course tracking their whereabouts become difficult. This proposed system is introduced to overcome child abductions and inadvertent child mismatching. RFID tags that have unique IDs are attached to mother’s wrist and child’s anklet immediately after the baby is born. These tags IDs are kept in the developed database with details information of the mother and her newborn baby. These tags also come with tamper mechanism that will be enabled once it is attached with tamper-proof strap. If these tags (mother or baby tags) are tempered or removed RFID reader shall be able to detect and generate alert signal on the host computer that is placed at nurse station. If this baby is taken out from the designated zone of tracking also, alert signal will be activated on the host computer. Lastly mother’s tag and baby’s tag are matched before they are being discharged from the hospital to ensure no mismatching.