System for monitoring and recording hand hygiene performance

• US 8,094,029 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognetive Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cognetive Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ortiz, Henry M., LeBlond, Claude W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US12/972,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/573.1, 702/176, 222/23, 222/52, 461/9, 462/3
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• 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: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A hand hygiene behavior management system capable of monitoring and recording information generated by the operation of dispensers as a method of assessing behavior of a group as an indication of overall hygiene performance. The system generally includes a plurality of wireless communication devices with a first number of the wireless communication devices being disposed within or adjacent dispensers and operatively configured for sensing, monitoring and reporting information about the status and operation of the dispensers. A hierarchal communication network for access to a central host database; a data processor and hygiene management application software operatively configured to create hygiene management reports based upon the monitored dispenser data and a method to provide user interface.

Claims

1. A hand hygiene rate calculation and hand hygiene performance feedback system comprising a computer network with application software with an application software administration center operative on the computer network which allows an application software user to direct the application software to interface with and query data or data-bases at sites or locations on the network where raw hygiene data is produced or stored, and with an application software user interface which enables the application software user to enter or choose a desired hand hygiene rate metric from a list of standard metrics, and to also input a hand hygiene rate denominator value such that execution of the application software will cause mathematical operations to be performed upon raw hygiene data from locations queried as selected by the applications software user, and utilizing the hand hygiene rate metric selected by the user and the hand hygiene rate denominator value input by the applications software user, the system will output processed data in the form of hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data,

wherein the application software is configurable via the application software administration center to address, interface with and query data-based raw hygiene data residing anywhere on the computer network that the application software is located, whether the network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, and which raw hygiene data contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used, and is stored in a publicly available database format, and

wherein the application software is configurable to perform mathematical operations on raw hygiene data such that only the raw data required to assess the hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate of a group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel from which the raw data originated is operated upon, the raw data includes time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used, wherein any individual or individual personnel identification information and any other information which links individual or individual personnel identification to the raw hygiene data is necessarily excluded from mathematical operation by the application software.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application software user interface includes:

a first field where the user manually inputs a desired hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate metric or unit which is to be assigned to the processed and output hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data, or selects the desired hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate metric or unit from a list of standard hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate metrics or units which includes at least one of the following;

hand wash opportunities per employee hour, hand wash opportunities per meal served, hand wash opportunities per hour, average hand wash opportunities per hour, hand wash opportunities per bed-day, hand wash opportunities per patient-hour, hand wash opportunities per patient-day such that the manually entered or selected hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate metrics or units will be assigned to the processed and output hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data; and

a second field where a time period is defined by the user such that only the raw hygiene data belonging to the defined period will be operated upon by the application software, and the application software output will be hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data belonging only to the defined time period,

wherein the second field where a numerical denominator rate value having units or metrics which match the units or metrics manually entered or selected by the user from the list of standard hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate metrics or units is input into the system by the user;

a third field where the user manually inputs a desired rendering or format of the post execution processed data output, or selects from a list the desired rendering or format of the post execution processed data output;

wherein the second field from within which the application software is executed such that the application software uses the parameters which have been selected and manually input into the application software user interface, and which causes the post execution processed data output to be generated and saved on a network computer or network storage device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the application software accepts the definition of a time period with an end point in the future such that the application software will automatically continue to operate upon raw hygiene data until such future end point is reached, and the application software output will be hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data which is automatically and periodically updated as new raw hygiene data becomes available.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the application software output is hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data in real-time when the raw hygiene data is available in real-time.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein when the application software has been configured by the user such that the desired hand hygiene rate or metric has been manually entered or selected from the list of standard hand hygiene rates or metrics appearing in a list in the application software user interface, and when the application software has been sufficiently provided with the time period and numerical denominator rate value, the execution of the application software will cause mathematical operations which are characteristic to the application software to occur and operate upon queried raw hygiene data such that the output of the system is processed hand hygiene performance, or hand hygiene rate data which is saved by the application software in a data-base on a network computer or network storage device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the execution of the application software causes the mathematical operations characteristic to the application software to be performed upon raw hygiene data such that only the raw data required to assess the hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate of a group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel from which the raw hygiene data originated is operated upon, and the raw data contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used, and any individual or individual personnel identification information and any other information which links individual or individual personnel identification to the raw hygiene data is necessarily excluded from mathematical operation by the application software such that the post execution output of the application software is characteristic of the group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel from which the raw hygiene data has originated.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the mathematical operations characteristic to the application software and performed by the application software upon the raw hygiene data are mathematical or statistical analysis operations.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the application software performs the mathematical operation of division whereby the raw hygiene data that was queried by the application software and subsequently parsed to exclude any individual or individual personnel identification information linking individual or individual personnel identification to the raw hygiene data is combined into a single rate value having units or metrics which match those of the numerical denominator rate value as manually entered or selected by the user, is then divided by the numerical denominator rate value which has been entered, such that execution of the application software yields an output which is a hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate quotient of the combined rate value in the form of a percentage or percentage decimal equivalent with units or metrics which match those as manually entered or selected by the user.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the execution of the application software causes the mathematical operations characteristic to the application software to be performed upon raw hygiene data such that only the raw data required to assess hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate is operated upon, and which data contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used, wherein the post execution output of the application software is characteristic of the raw hygiene data upon which the application software has operated.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the mathematical operations characteristic to the application software and performed by the application software upon the raw hygiene data are mathematical or statistical analysis operations.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the application software performs the mathematical operation of division whereby the raw hygiene data that was queried by the application software is combined into a single rate value having units or metrics which match those of the numerical denominator rate value as manually entered or selected by the user, is then divided by the numerical denominator rate value which has been entered, such that execution of the application software yields an output which is a hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate quotient of the combined rate value in the form of a percentage or percentage decimal equivalent with units or metrics which match those as manually entered or selected by the user.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the application software user interface includes the third field for selecting the output format or rendering of the processed hand hygiene performance, or hand hygiene rate data from a list which includes at least one of a graphical rendering of output data and a tabular rendering of output data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein when a tabular output is selected, the system output of hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data are displayed in a table and are visible via the application software user interface.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein when a graphical output is selected, the system output of hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data are plotted over time, wherein the ordinate axis has units or metrics as manually entered or selected from a list by the user via the application software user interface, the abscissa has units of time, and the resulting plot is displayed graphically and visibly via the application software user interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the graphical output also includes one or two horizontal lines which are independent of the plotted output data values and have fixed, user defined ordinate values such that when a single horizontal line is present, the single horizontal line represents a user defined minimum hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate target value, or represents a user defined target hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate value, and when two said horizontal lines are present, one of the horizontal lines represents a user defined minimum hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate value, and the second horizontal line represents a user defined target hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate value.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the horizontal lines represent user defined hand hygiene process control limits and provide a means for observing the hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data of groups of individuals or teams of co-workers or personnel as hand hygiene process output data, the plotted hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data of the group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel are plotted over time, and are plotted within the defined fixed process control limits or outside of the defined fixed process control limits.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the horizontal lines represent user defined hand hygiene process control limits and provide a means for observing hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data as hand hygiene process output data, the plotted hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data are plotted over time, and are plotted within the defined fixed process control limits or outside of the defined fixed process control limits.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the system output is a graphical or tabular rendering of the group or team hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate data, wherein hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate is represented as a percentage value or percentage value decimal equivalent, and is distributed to any user or computer or central processing unit on the computer network, wherein the network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, and appropriate access and permissions to the network have been granted via the application software administration center.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a number of computers or display devices with central processing units are distributed and situated such that, during their normal workday functions, said computer monitors or display devices are in the frequent and periodic view of individuals from the group or team, or the entire group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel from which the raw hygiene data has originated, and upon which the application software operates, and such that hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene performance data rendering is visible by said individuals, groups or teams as hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate feedback to said individuals, groups or teams.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the system output is a graphical or tabular rendering of hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate, wherein hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate is represented as a percentage value or percentage value decimal equivalent and is distributed to any user or computer or central processing unit on the computer network, wherein the network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, and wherein appropriate access and permissions associated with the network has been granted via the application software administration center.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a number of computers or display devices with central processing units are distributed and situated such that, during their normal workday functions, said computer monitors or display devices are in the frequent and periodic view of individuals from which the raw hygiene data has originated and upon which the application software operates, and such that hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene performance data rendering is visible by individuals as hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate feedback to said individuals.

22. The system of claim 2, wherein any one of the first, second or third fields may be populated or selected or executed automatically and without human intervention by a second software application operating on the computer network, wherein the computer network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, and the second software application independently, characteristically and automatically collects or derives information as required to automatically populate, select, or execute the first, second, and third fields as a part of the normal independent function of said second application software.

23. The system of claim 2, wherein any one of the first, second, and third fields may be populated or selected or executed automatically and without human intervention by a second application software or service application software operating on the computer network, wherein the computer network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, such that said second application software or service application software executes and operates automatically, in conjunction with, and in support of the system, and which second application software or service application software characteristically and automatically collects or derives the information required to automatically populate, select, or execute the first, second and third fields as a part of the normal function of said second application software or service application software.

24. The system of claim 2, wherein the application software is configurable such that raw hygiene data which has been generated by groups or teams of co-workers or personnel is first separated from raw hygiene data generated by non-coworker individuals or non-personnel individuals such that any raw hygiene data generated by non-coworker or non-personnel individuals are excluded from subsequent mathematical or statistical operations performed by the application software and the application software output will be hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data belonging only to the groups or teams of co-workers or personnel from which the separated raw data has originated.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein said raw hygiene data has been acquired by any electronic or automated hygiene surveillance or monitoring system.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein said raw hygiene data also contains time stamped hand hygiene opportunity event data indicating when a hand hygiene opportunity has occurred.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein said raw hygiene data also contains time stamped hand hygiene opportunity event data indicating when and where a hand hygiene opportunity has occurred.

25. A hand hygiene rate calculation and hand hygiene performance feedback system comprising a computer network with application software with an application software administration center operative on the computer network which allows an application software user to direct the application software to interface with and query data or data-bases at sites or locations on the network where raw hygiene data is produced or stored, and with an application software user interface which enables the application software user to enter or choose a desired hand hygiene rate metric from a list of standard metrics, and to also input a hand hygiene rate denominator value such that execution of the application software will cause mathematical operations to be performed upon raw hygiene data from locations queried as selected by the applications software user, and utilizing the hand hygiene rate metric selected by the user and the hand hygiene rate denominator value input by the applications software user, the system will output processed data in the form of hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data,

wherein the application software is configurable to address, interface with, and query data-based raw hygiene data residing anywhere on the computer network that the application software is located, wherein the network is a corporate intranet, a private network, or the Internet, and the data-base contains raw hygiene data that has been acquired by any electronic or automated hygiene surveillance or monitoring system, wherein the raw hygiene data contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the application software is configurable to perform mathematical operations on the raw hygiene data such that only the raw data required to assess the hand hygiene performance or hand hygiene rate of a group of individuals or team of co-workers or personnel from which the raw data originated is operated upon, the raw data contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used, wherein any individual or individual personnel identification information and any other information which links individual or individual personnel identification to the raw hygiene data is necessarily excluded from mathematical operation by the application software.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the application software is configurable to perform mathematical operations on raw hygiene data which contains time stamped hand hygiene event data which includes (i) the number of times and (ii) when a particular soap or sanitizer dispenser or group of particular soap or sanitizer dispensers have been used.

28. A hand hygiene rate calculation and hand hygiene performance feedback system comprising a computer network with application software operative on the computer network which allows an application software user to direct the application software to interface with and query data or data-bases at sites or locations on the network where raw hygiene data is produced or stored, and with an application software user interface which enables the application software user to enter manually a desired hand hygiene rate metric or choose a desired hand hygiene rate metric from a list of standard hand hygiene metrics, execution of the application software will cause mathematical operations to be performed upon the raw hygiene data from locations queried as selected by the applications software user, and utilizing the hand hygiene rate metric selected by the user, the system outputs processed data in the form of hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data which is characteristic of the raw hygiene data which has been queried.

29. A hand hygiene rate calculation and hand hygiene performance feedback system comprising a computer network and application software operative on the computer network, said application software provides a means for an application software user to direct said application software to interface with and query data or data-bases at sites or locations on the network where raw hygiene data is produced or stored, and wherein said data or data-bases contain raw hygiene data that has been acquired by any electronic or automated hygiene surveillance or monitoring system, and wherein execution of said application software will cause mathematical operations to be performed upon said raw hygiene data such that utilizing a hand hygiene rate metric selected by the user and a hand hygiene rate denominator value input by the applications software user, the system will output processed data in the form of hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data.

33. A hand hygiene rate calculation and hand hygiene performance feedback system comprising a computer network and application software operative on the computer network, said application software is configurable to interface with and query data or data-bases at sites or locations on the network where raw hygiene data is produced or stored, and wherein said data or data-bases contain raw hygiene data that has been acquired by any electronic or automated hygiene surveillance or monitoring system, and wherein execution of said application software will cause mathematical operations to be performed upon said raw hygiene data such that utilizing a selected hand hygiene rate metric, and a hand hygiene rate denominator value which is input into said application software, the system will output processed data in the form of hand hygiene performance data or hand hygiene rate data.