Global market will rise to from £50m to £1.2bn by 2016

The global market for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in healthcare will rise from $90m (£50m) to $2.1bn (£1.2bn) over the next ten years, says a study.

Independent research group IDTechEx says RFID technology in hospitals could help save lives, prevent errors, cut costs and increase security by automating procedures, ensuring correct medication and speeding up administration.

The bulk of the rise in use of the technology will be from tagging of drugs and use in so-called Real Time Locating Systems for staff and patients.