System and Method for Monitoring Hygiene Standards Compliance
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a system and method of monitoring hygiene standards compliance in a medical facility in which there is provided a surveillance network having a monitoring unit 3 and a plurality of mobile network units 7. There may additionally be provided a plurality of fixed network units 5. The monitoring unit 3, mobile network units 7 and fixed network units 5 are connected by way of a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), in this case a ZigBee network. Identification signals are sent from the mobiles network units 7 to the monitoring unit 3 and the monitoring unit stores the identification signals in memory and generates a hygiene standards compliance profile for an individual associated with a particular mobile network unit. The hygiene compliance profile may provide information relating to the number of times that a particular individual washed their hands to information regarding the patients that that individual came into contact with over the course of a shift. Reports on the behaviour of individuals or groups of individuals may be generated.
131 Citations
92 Claims
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1-43. -43. (canceled)
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44. A hygiene monitoring system for monitoring hygiene standards compliance in a facility, the hygiene monitoring system comprising a surveillance network including a monitoring unit and a plurality of mobile network units;
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each of said plurality of mobile network units including a transmitter for transmitting an identification signal particular to an individual associated with one of said plurality of mobile network units to said monitoring unit; said surveillance network further comprising a plurality of fixed network units dispersed throughout the facility, each of said plurality of fixed network units including a transceiver to receive the identification signal from one or more of the mobile network units and transmit the identification signal to said monitoring unit; said each of said plurality of mobile network units and said each of said plurality of fixed network units together forming part of a ZigBee wireless personal area network (WPAN); and said monitoring unit further comprising a receiver for receiving the identification signals from said each of said plurality of mobile network units, an accessible memory for storing the identification signals, and a processor to analyse the identification signals in accessible memory and generate a hygiene standards compliance profile for the particular individual associated with said each of said plurality of mobile network units. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A method of monitoring hygiene standards compliance by individuals in a facility, the facility having a surveillance network comprising a monitoring unit and a plurality of mobile network units, the mobile network units each having a transmitter for transmitting an identification signal particular to an individual associated with one of the plurality of mobile network units to the monitoring unit, the surveillance network further comprising a plurality of fixed network units dispersed throughout the facility, each of the plurality of fixed network units including a transceiver to receive the identification signal from the plurality of mobile network units and transmit the identification signal onward to the monitoring unit, the plurality of mobile network units and the plurality of fixed network units together forming part of a ZigBee wireless personal area network (WPAN), the monitoring unit including a processor, an accessible memory, and a receiver for receiving identification signals, the method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting the identification signal particular to the individual associated with the one of the plurality of mobile network units to the monitoring unit via at least one of the plurality of fixed network units in the ZigBee WPAN; receiving the identification signal by the monitoring unit; storing the identification signal in accessible memory; and analyzing the identification signal stored in accessible memory and thereafter generating a hygiene standards compliance profile for one or more of the individuals associated with the one or more of the plurality mobile network units. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. An antibacterial fluid dispenser comprising:
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an antibacterial fluid reservoir; a charging inlet in communication with said reservoir; a discharge outlet in communication with said reservoir; a dispensing mechanism mounted in and co-operating with said discharge outlet for dispensing a predetermined amount of antibacterial fluid from said fluid reservoir on actuation by a user; and said antibacterial fluid dispenser further including a transmitter for transmission of the identification signal particular to an individual associated with said antibacterial fluid dispenser to a remote monitoring unit, said transmitter forming part of a ZigBee wireless personal area network (WPAN). - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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91. A hygiene monitoring system for monitoring hygiene standards compliance by individuals in a facility, the hygiene monitoring system comprising a surveillance network having a monitoring unit and a plurality of mobile network units;
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the mobile network units each including a transmitter for transmitting an identification signal particular to an individual associated with one of said plurality of mobile network units to the monitoring unit, and in which each of said plurality of mobile network units is formed as part of an antibacterial fluid dispenser, each of said antibacterial fluid dispensers further comprises a sensor to detect actuation of each of said antibacterial fluid dispensers and means to generate the identification signal on said sensor detecting actuation of each of said antibacterial fluid dispensers; said surveillance network further comprising a plurality of fixed network units dispersed throughout the facility, each of said plurality of fixed network units including a transceiver to receive the identification signal from said plurality of mobile network units and transmit the identification signal onward to said monitoring unit; and said monitoring unit further comprising a receiver for receiving the identification signals from each of said plurality of mobile network units, an accessible memory for storing the identification signals, and a processor to analyse the identification signals in accessible memory and generate a hygiene standards compliance profile for the individual associated with each of said plurality of mobile network units.
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92. A method of monitoring hygiene standards compliance by individuals in a facility, the facility including a surveillance network comprising a monitoring unit and a plurality of mobile network units, each of the plurality of mobile network units including a transmitter for transmitting an identification signal particular to an individual associated with each of the mobile network units to the monitoring unit, the surveillance network further comprising a plurality of fixed network units dispersed throughout the facility, each of the plurality of fixed network units including a transceiver to receive the identification signal from the plurality of mobile network units and transmit the identification signal onward to the monitoring unit, the monitoring unit including a processor, an accessible memory, and a receiver for receiving identification signals, the method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting an identification signal from each of the plurality of mobile network units that is particular to the individual associated with each of the plurality of mobile network units to the monitoring unit via at least one of the plurality of fixed network units, and in which each of the plurality of mobile network units forms part of an antibacterial fluid dispenser, the transmitting step including conveying the identification signal to the monitoring unit on actuation of the antibacterial fluid dispenser; receiving the identification signal by the monitoring unit and storing the identification signal in accessible memory; and analyzing by the monitoring unit of the identification signal stored in accessible memory and thereafter generating a hygiene standards compliance profile for one or more of the individuals associated with each of the plurality of mobile network units.
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Specification