SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MANAGE HAND HYGIENE

• US 20110234598A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: C-HCA, Inc., General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: C-HCA, Inc., General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hall, Chuck, Scarola, Todd
• Application Number:
  US12/731,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234598A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/440.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A system and method to track management of hand hygiene is provided. The system includes a wireless tracking system to detect a resource within a proximity of a dispenser of sanitizer. The system can detects a release of the sanitizer from the dispenser, transmits a wireless signal from a transmitter at the dispenser to a receiver, and creates a display that includes a time of the release of sanitizer at the dispenser and a resource within the proximity of the dispenser at the time of release.

Claims

1. A method to manage hand hygiene, the method comprising the steps of

detecting a release of sanitizer from a dispenser;

transmitting a wireless signal from a transmitter at the dispenser to a receiver; and

creating a graphic illustration of a time of the release of sanitizer at the dispenser.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking a location of a resource within a predetermined proximity of the dispenser;

communicating a wireless signal including a location address and an identifier of the resource at a time of tracking;

matching the location of the resource with a control volume of the dispenser at the time of the release of sanitizer; and

generating a graphic illustration that shows an identification of the resource within the control volume of the dispenser at the time of the release of sanitizer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking a location of a resource within a predetermined proximity of the dispenser;

communicating a wireless signal including a location address and an identifier of the resource at a time of tracking;

matching the location of the resource with the dispenser at the time of the release of sanitizer; and

detecting a failure of an occurrence of a release of sanitizer from the dispenser prior to a predefined event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of tracking includes communicating an infrared signal having an identifier of a stationary beacon to a tag at the resource, and wherein the step of communicating includes communicating an rF signal from a tag that includes the identifier of the stationary beacon and an identifier of the resource having the tag.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmitting step includes communicating an rF signal from a tag at the dispenser.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined event is the delivery of healthcare to a patient, and further comprising the step of:

tracking the location of the resource within a control volume of a patient, wherein the failure occurs if a time of release of sanitizer is after a time tracking the resource within the control volume of the patient.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating a display illustrative of each failure of occurrence of the release of sanitizer associated with delivery of healthcare to the patient, and the resource associated with delivery of healthcare to the patient.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating a display illustrative of a percentage rate of failure of occurrence of the release of sanitizer overall for more than resource.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating a display illustrative of a percentage rate of failure of occurrence of the release of sanitizer for each unique individual or category of resource.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating a display illustrative of a percentage rate of failure of occurrence of the release of sanitizer for each unique individual dispenser of sanitizer or category of dispenser of sanitizer.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating a display that shows a graphic illustration of the location of the failure of the occurrence on a map of a facility.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of creating an alarm illustrative to the patient of the failure of the occurrence of the release of sanitizer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the release of sanitizer includes applying a magnet at a handle of the dispenser that within one of a detection of a predefined distance and detection of contact causes a switch to move and trigger transmitting of the wireless signal from the transmitter.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the release of sanitizer includes detecting a motion of a handle of the dispenser to cause release of the sanitizer;

and in response to detecting the motion of the handle, triggering the step of transmitting of the wireless signal from the transmitter.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the release of sanitizer includes triggering the step transmitting of the wireless signal from the transmitter in response to actuation of a mechanical or electrical switch caused by a motion of a handle of the dispenser to cause release of the sanitizer or detection of a flow of sanitizer from the dispenser.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating a signal including data indicative of at least one of the failure of occurrence of release of sanitizer and a detection of occurrence of the release of sanitizer for storage in an electronic medical record (EMR) of the patient.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal from the transmitter includes one of an infrared, radio frequency (rF), electromagnetic, and an optical signal transmission.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking a location of a resource within a predetermined proximity of the dispenser;

communicating a wireless signal including a location address and an identifier of the resource at a time of tracking;

matching the location of the resource with the dispenser at the time of the release of sanitizer; and

detecting a failure of an occurrence of a release of sanitizer from the dispenser prior to a predefined event, wherein the resource is a food handling personnel and the predefined event is the personnel performing a food handling service.

19. A system to track a resource use of a dispenser of sanitizer, the dispenser having a handle to release the sanitizer, the system comprising:

a wireless transmitter located at the dispenser, the wireless transmitter to transmit a wireless signal including a location address of the dispenser and a time of release of sanitizer from the dispenser;

a magnet at the handle of the dispenser that moves with the handle to trigger transmitting of the wireless signal from the wireless transmitter at the dispenser;

a tracking system to communicate a wireless signal including an identifier of the resource and a time of detection of the resource within a predetermined proximity of the dispenser; and

a display of an identification of the resource at the time of the release of sanitizer from the dispenser.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the wireless tracking system detects a location of the resource at the time of release of the sanitizer from the dispenser, and wherein the system detects a failure of the release of sanitizer from the dispenser prior to a predefined event of the resource and creates a display illustrative of the failure.