METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVING HAND HYGIENE

• US 20160005328A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Toole, Martin J., Mackay, David S., Hall, Jeffrey W., Slater, Jason M., Cross, Tamara M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,636,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0076 Body hygiene; Dressing; Knot tying

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of methodologies of improving hygiene metric, methodologies of training observers, and software products for improving hygiene metrics are disclosed herein. An exemplary methodology of improving hand-hygiene includes obtaining data indicative of the number of opportunities for one or more users to obtain a dose of hand cleaner for a plurality of dispensers through an electronic monitoring system. In addition, the exemplary methodology includes obtaining data indicative of dispense events by the plurality of dispensers through the electronic monitoring system. The methodology further includes determining a metric for the one or more users as a function of the data indicative of the number of opportunities and the data indicative of dispense events and providing instructions for an observer to obtain observation data related to the one or more users as a function of the metric.

Claims

1. A method of improving hand-hygiene comprising:

obtaining data indicative of the number of opportunities for one or more users to obtain a dose of hand cleaner for a plurality of dispensers through an electronic monitoring system;

obtaining data indicative of dispense events by the plurality of dispensers through the electronic monitoring system;

determining a metric for the one or more users as a function of the data indicative of the number of opportunities and the data indicative of dispense events;

providing instructions for an observer to obtain observation data related to the one or more users as a function of the metric.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing instructions to an observer to obtain observation data is a function of a trend in the metric.

3. The method of claim 2 the trend is an upward trend.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing instructions to an observer to obtain observation data is a function of the metric being outside of a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing instructions to the one or more users based on one of the determined metric and the observation data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the metric for one or more users based on the observation data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the metric and the observation data for comparison.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the observer with data indicative of dispense events in real time.

9. A hand-hygiene monitoring system comprising:

a dispenser having circuitry for outputting a dispense event signal;

an opportunity sensor having a circuitry for outputting an opportunity signal;

a portable device having an observer input that for a user to enter an input into the portable device to create;

the portable device having circuitry for outputting an observation signal,

a receiver for receiving the dispense event signal, the opportunity signal and the observation signal; and

a display for displaying information that is a function of the dispense event signal, the opportunity signal and the observation signal.

10. The hand-hygiene monitoring system of claim 9 further comprising logic for calculating a metric that includes data from a plurality of dispense event signals, a plurality of opportunity signals and one or more observation signals.

11. The hand-hygiene monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the observation signals comprise causal data.

12. The hand-hygiene monitoring system of claim 9 wherein a metric is generated as a function of the observation signal.

13. The hand-hygiene monitoring system of claim 9 further comprising a user identification device.

14. A method of improving hand-hygiene comprising:

obtaining data relating to use of a dispenser by one or more users through an electronic monitoring system; and

providing instructions for an observer to obtain observation data related to the one or more users.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein providing instructions to an observer to obtain observation data is a function of a trend in a metric.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein providing instructions to an observer to obtain observation data is a function of a metric being outside of a threshold.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing instructions to the one or more users based on both the determined metric and the observation data.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a signal initiated by the observer to encourage one or more users to change a behavior.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining one or more reasons the data from the electronically obtained data is different than observation data.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising displaying the metric and the observation data for comparison.