HYGIENE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20090189759A1
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dennis J. Gallant, Phillip Hausman, Timothy D. Wildman
• Original Assignee: Dennis J. Gallant, Phillip Hausman, Timothy D. Wildman
• Inventors: Hausman, Phillip, Wildman, Timothy D., Gallant, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,812,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2005/1218 Table mounted; Dispensers integrated with the mixing tap
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A method is provided for monitoring hygiene compliance.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method of monitoring hygiene compliance, comprising:

detecting, at a master station comprising at least a computer readable medium and a processing unit, an encounter between a person and a movable object,

determining whether the encounter results in contamination of the person or the movable object, and

generating a signal indicative of whether the person or the movable object is contaminated.

32. The method of claim 31, comprising receiving, at the master station, signals comprising patient location information, receiving, at the master station, signals comprising movable object location information, and comparing patient location information with moveable object location information to determine whether an encounter has occurred.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the signals comprising patient location information are wireless signals.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the signals comprising movable object location information are wireless signals.

35. The method of claim 32, comprising evaluating, at the master station, previous patient location information and evaluating, at the master station, previous movable object location information, to determine whether an encounter has occurred.

36. The method of claim 35, comprising checking time elapsed on a delay timer to determine whether an encounter has occurred.

37. The method of claim 32, comprising receiving, at the master station, cleaning information from a cleaning sensor coupled to a movable object, evaluating, at the master station, the cleaning information to determine whether a contamination has occurred, and activating a cleaning status alarm for the movable object if a contamination has occurred.

38. The method of claim 31, comprising displaying, at the master station, a user interface comprising a graphic display of a room layout and sink locations.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the user interface is user-configurable according to at least one user clearance level.

48. The system of claim 32, wherein computer readable medium comprises programming logic executable by the processing unit to determine whether an equipment needs cleaning based on a location of the equipment and a location of a person.

40. A hygiene monitoring system comprising

a plurality of person badges, each configured to provide a unique identifying signal identifying a location of a person,

a plurality of equipment badges, each configured to provide a unique identifying signal identifying a location of an equipment,

at least one sensor configured to receive wireless signals from person badges and equipment badges,

at least one hygiene standard defined for equipment and stored in computer-readable medium,

at least one handwashing standard defined for persons and stored in computer-readable medium, and

a processing unit operably coupled to the computer-readable medium and configured to receive signals from the at least one sensor and execute programming logic to make determinations of compliance or non-compliance of the equipment with the at least one hygiene standard and make determinations of compliance or non-compliance of the persons with the at least one handwashing standard.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the plurality of person badges includes at least one active badge which actively transmits an identifying signal.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the plurality of person badges includes at least one passive badge which transmits an identifying signal only when it receives a polling signal.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein at least one of the active badges is associated with a caregiver and at least one of the passive badges is associated with at least one patient, visitor, or other non-caregiver person.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the plurality of equipment badges includes at least one active badge which actively transmits an identifying signal.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the plurality of equipment badges includes at least one passive badge which transmits an identifying signal only when it receives a polling signal.

46. The system of claim 40, comprising anti-collision technology executable by the processing unit to uniquely identify persons and equipment in close proximity to one another and separately monitor hygiene compliance of each of the persons and equipment in close proximity to one another.

47. The system of claim 40, wherein the processing unit determines whether an encounter between a person and an equipment has occurred.

49. A hygiene monitoring system comprising

a plurality of person badges, each configured to provide a unique identifying signal identifying a location of a person,

at least one sensor configured to receive wireless signals from person badges,

at least one handwashing standard defined for persons and stored in computer-readable medium,

a processing unit operably coupled to the computer-readable medium and configured to receive signals from the at least one sensor and execute programming logic to make and record determinations of compliance or non-compliance of persons with the at least one handwashing standard, and

at least one alert indicator configured to provide varying output based on a number of non-compliance determinations recorded by the processing unit for a person.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the at least one alert indicator provides a first indication when a person enters a contamination zone, and provides a second indication different than the first indication when a person violates a handwashing standard a first time, and provides a third indication different than the first indication and different than the second indication, when a person violates a handwashing standard a second time.