Method and system for determining whether an individual takes appropriate measures to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections

• US 10,602,095 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2018
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kusens, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Jr., Howard D
• Application Number:
  US15/910,645
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19604 involving reference image or background adaptation with time to compensate for changing conditions, e.g. reference image update on detection of light level change
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A system and method for caregivers, central monitoring companies and other persons to monitor whether individuals entering patients'"'"' rooms take appropriate steps to mitigate the spread of healthcare associated infections to the patients receiving healthcare services. Though data from one or more of 3D Motion and Sound Sensors, individuals within a room may be tracked within a virtual zone, and the virtual zone may be shift based on the location of the person. It may be determined whether an individual within the virtual zone washed or sanitized his or her hands prior to entering the room or the virtual zone and may notify caregivers or other persons of individuals approaching the virtual zone in general or without completing a health-care associated infection mitigation action.

Claims

1. A computerized method for remotely monitoring an individual, the method performed by a computerized monitoring system and comprising:

accessing data from one or more 3D Motion and Sound Sensors in a room with an individual;

identifying the individual using one or more biometric identifiers;

establishing a virtual zone around the individual based on identifying the individual using one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body;

tracking movement of the individual using the one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body; and

upon determining the individual has moved, automatically adjusting a location of the virtual zone to correspond to an updated location of the individual determined by the one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a second person moves within a certain predetermined distance or enters the virtual zone.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the second person has washed or sanitized his or her hands prior to entering the virtual zone.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising entering a record in a database of whether the second person washed or sanitized his or her hands prior to entering the virtual zone.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising issuing audible and/or visual alerts acknowledging compliance by the second person with a healthcare-associated infection mitigation action.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising issuing audible and/or visual alerts notifying the individual and/or the second person of the need for the second person to perform a healthcare-associated infection mitigation action.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more biometric identifiers used to identify the individual comprise one or more of facial recognition, height, and one or more distances between points on the individual'"'"'s body.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing one or more additional people in the room.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a second person approaching the virtual zone is wearing a mask.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the second person has completed a healthcare-associated infection mitigation action.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether another person approaching the virtual zone is wearing gloves.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual zone is a 3D zone.

13. A computerized method for remotely monitoring an individual, the method performed by a computerized monitoring system and comprising:

accessing data from one or more 3D Motion and Sound Sensors in a room with an individual;

identifying the individual using one or more biometric identifiers;

establishing a virtual zone around the individual based on one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body;

tracking movement of the individual using the one or more distances between points on the individual'"'"'s body;

upon determining the individual has moved, automatically adjusting a location of the virtual zone to correspond to an updated location of the individual determined by the one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body; and

monitoring for a second person approaching the virtual zone.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the second person has completed a healthcare-associated infection mitigation action.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the second person is wearing a mask.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the second person is wearing gloves.

17. A computerized method for remotely monitoring an individual, the method performed by a computerized monitoring system and comprising:

accessing data from one or more 3D Motion and Sound Sensors in a room with an individual;

identifying the individual using one or more biometric identifiers;

establishing a virtual zone around the individual based on one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body;

tracking movement of the individual using the one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body;

upon determining the individual has moved, automatically adjusting a location of the virtual zone to correspond to an updated location of the individual determined by the one or more distances between points of the individual'"'"'s body;

monitoring for a second person approaching the virtual zone; and

upon determining the second person enters the virtual zone without completing a healthcare-associated infection mitigation action, initiating sending an alert.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the alert is sent to the second person.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the alert is sent to a centralized monitoring station.