SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HAND HYGIENE COMPLIANCE

• US 20130342349A1
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Excellon Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Excellon Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cruz, Nestor G.
• Application Number:
  US13/528,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method and system for controlling hand hygiene compliance in a health care environment is provided. Location identification tags in communication with sensors on hand hygiene instruments within a health care environment, are monitored to collect hand hygiene event data and to determine rates of hand hygiene compliance below set targets. Root causes of hand hygiene compliance are identified and corresponding hand hygiene solutions are provided to implement lean analytics and six sigma based improvement to hand hygiene compliance rates.

Claims

1. A system for controlling hand hygiene compliance in a health care environment, comprising:

at least one computer; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computers having instructions stored thereron which, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

receiving hand hygiene compliance event data from at least one sensor associated with hand hygiene instruments in communication with an identification tag;

determining a rate of hand hygiene compliance by assessing the hand hygiene compliance event data against a target compliance rate;

determining at least one root cause associated with any rate of hand hygiene compliance determined as less than the target compliance rate;

determining at least one hand hygiene solution associated with each of the at least one root cause; and

providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a health care worker associated with the health care environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining rate of hand hygiene compliance further comprise assessing hand hygiene based on identification tags being identified by at least one of the sensors being associated with a locations identified as contaminated.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a health care worker comprise providing an alert to the identification tag.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alert is an audiovisual warning.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a health care worker comprise providing a message to a communication terminal of the health care worker.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the communication terminal is a computer terminal and the message is an e-mail message.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile telephone device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the message is one of a text message or an email message.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving further hand hygiene compliance event data from the at least one sensors, wherein the further hand hygiene compliance event data is associated with the identification tag after the at least one hand hygiene solution is provided to the health care worker;

determining a further rate of hand hygiene compliance by assessing the further hand hygiene compliance event data against the target compliance rate;

determining, if the further rate of hand hygiene compliance is less than the target compliance rate, another of the at least one hand hygiene solution and providing the another of the at least one hand hygiene solution to the health care worker.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the determining of the at least one hand hygiene solution is based on application of Lean Six Sigma change in relation to the at least one root cause.

11. A computer implemented method for controlling hand hygiene compliance in a health care environment, comprising the steps of:

receiving hand hygiene compliance event data from at least one sensor associated with hand hygiene instruments in communication with an identification tag;

determining a rate of hand hygiene compliance by assessing the hand hygiene compliance event data against a target compliance rate;

determining at least one root cause associated with any rate of hand hygiene compliance determined as less than the target compliance rate;

determining at least one hand hygiene solution associated with each of the at least one root cause; and

providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a health care worker associated with the health care environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining a rate of hand hygiene compliance further comprises assessing hand hygiene based on identification tags being identified by at least one of the sensors being associated with a locations identified as contaminated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a health care worker comprises providing an alert to the identification tag.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the alert is an audiovisual warning.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing the at least one hand hygiene solution to a healthcare worker comprises providing a message to a communication terminal of the health care worker.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication terminal is a computer terminal and the message is an e-mail message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile telephone device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the message is one of a text message or an email message.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving further hand hygiene compliance event data from the at least one sensor, wherein the further hand hygiene compliance event data is associated with the identification tag after the at least one hand hygiene solution is provided to the health care worker;

determining a further rate of hand hygiene compliance by assessing the further hand hygiene compliance event data against the target compliance rate; and

determining, if the further rate of hand hygiene compliance is less than the target compliance rate, another of the at least one hand hygiene solution and providing the another of the at least one hand hygiene solution to the health care worker.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of determining at least one hand hygiene solution is based on application of Lean Six Sigma change in relation to the at least one root cause.