HAND HYGIENE SYSTEM

• US 20110254682A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Safe Contact APS
• Original Assignee: Clean Contact APS
• Inventors: Sigrist Christensen, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/132,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• 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

Abstract

There is provided a system for monitoring hygiene compliance in a medical facility. The system includes personnel tags for patients and for healthcare workers within the facility; sensors, to be carried by healthcare workers, which recognize personnel tags for patients within a distance of 1 meter; washing stations provided with tags which are recognized by said sensors within a distance of 0.5 meter; and a control unit, to be carried by the healthcare workers, said control unit being programmed to detect whether a healthcare worker bearing one of the personnel tags accessed a washing station prior to contacting a patient bearing a separate one of the personnel tags.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring hygiene compliance in a medical facility, comprising:

personnel tags, such as RFID tags, for patients and for healthcare workers within the facility;

sensors, to be carried by healthcare workers, which recognize personnel tags for patients within a distance of 1 meter;

washing stations provided with tags which are recognized by said sensors within a distance of 0.5 meter;

a control unit, to be carried by the healthcare workers, said control unit being programmed to detect whether a healthcare worker bearing one of the personnel tags accessed a washing station prior to contacting a patient bearing a separate one of the personnel tags.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the personnel tags worn by the healthcare workers comprise a status indicator to indicate a hand hygiene status of the healthcare worker.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the status indicator provides a visual indication of the hand hygiene status.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the status indicator provides an audible indication of a change in status.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the status indicator provides an audible warning when the personnel tag is within a defined proximity of a personnel tag of a patient and the hand hygiene status is other than “

clean.”

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises an infrared thermosensor focused onto the operational area of the healthcare worker'"'"'s hand.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is fixed to the healthcare workers wrist.

8. A system for monitoring hygiene compliance in a medical facility, comprising:

devices for detecting skin contact between healthcare workers, patients and visitors within the facility;

washing stations provided with tags which are recognized by sensors, to be carried by healthcare workers, within a distance of 0.5 meter;

a control unit, to be carried by the healthcare workers, said control unit being programmed to detect whether a healthcare worker accessed a washing station after having had skin contact with a patient, a visitor or another healthcare worker.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the device for detecting skin contact is selected from one or more of the technologies Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), Detection of Temperature Changes, Motion Pattern Recognition (MPR), ElectroDermal Response (EDR), and ElectroMyoGraphy (EMG).

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the device is based on GSR.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the device is placed on the wrist of the healthcare worker.

12. A system according to claim 8 in combination with a the system for monitoring hygiene compliance in a medical facility, comprising:

personnel tags, such as RFID tags, for patients and for healthcare workers within the facility;

sensors, to be carried by healthcare workers, which recognize personnel tags for patients within a distance of 1 meter;

washing stations provided with tags which are recognized by said sensors within a distance of 0.5 meter;

a control unit, to be carried by the healthcare workers, said control unit being programmed to detect whether a healthcare worker bearing one of the personnel tags accessed a washing station prior to contacting a patient bearing a separate one of the personnel tags.