Electronic reminder and monitoring system for healthcare infection control precautions

• US 8,633,816 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.), University Of Massachusetts
• Original Assignee: UltraClenz LLC (Ecolab, Inc.), University Of Massachusetts
• Inventors: Snodgrass, David, Ellison, Richard T. III
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US13/434,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20120256742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• 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

A system and method for monitoring personal protection items of a healthcare worker (gloves, gown, mask and respirator), using a user badge which stores data representing items worn by a worker, wirelessly communicating with the badge before the worker enters a patient zone (such as a patient room, bed area or exam table area), to see whether the worker has the required items. Patient beacons, located near patient room doors, near beds and other locations, store data representing the items required by workers who come in contact with, or close proximity to a patient, and wirelessly communicate with the badge. The patient beacon data can be set for the requirement of the patient, based on patient condition.

Claims

1. A sanitization compliance monitoring system for a health care environment having patients in patient zones, comprising:

badges wearable by persons, said badges having memory for storing personal protection status data representing personal protections implemented by a person, said badges also having a wireless transmitter/receiver;

patient zone beacons, each associated with a different respective patient zone, each patient zone beacon storing data representing personal protection requirements of persons required by the zone based on the condition of the patient in the zone, and having a wireless transmitter/receiver;

wherein the patient zone beacon communicates with each badge and checks whether the personal protection status data in the badge indicates that the person wearing the badge has the personal protections required by the patient zone beacon, and wherein the badge produces a warning signal if the person'"'"'s personal protection is not compliant.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the personal protection status data represents at least one of gloves, gown, mask and respirator personal protection items.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the badge memory also stores data indicating whether a user has been fitted to wear a particular personal protection item, and wherein a warning signal is produced if the personal protections requirements require the particular personal protection item, regardless of whether the user possesses the particular personal protection item.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the particular personal protection item is a respirator.

5. The system of claim 1, further including a central unit for wirelessly communication with patient zone beacons, and wherein the patient room beacons transmit the identification signal of the badge, and the current personal protection status data of the badge, to the central unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication includes time stamp data indicating the date and time of each communication of data between a badge with a patient zone beacon.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the badge includes at least one visual indicator to indicate whether the personal protection status data stored in the badge is compliant with the personal protections required by the patient zone.

8. The system of claim 1, further including at least one personal protection item dispenser for dispensing at least one type of personal protection item, and for communicating a personal protection dispensing signal to a badge indicating the item dispensed, and wherein the badge personal protection status data is changed in response to said personal protection dispensing signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient zone beacon is associated with a patient room.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient zone beacon is associated with a patient bed.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient zone beacon is associated with a patient exam table.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the badge memory stores hand hygiene status information representing hand hygiene events indicating the time of the last hand hygiene event of the user, and wherein the badge produces a warning signal in response to the badge'"'"'s user not conducting a hand hygiene event between different patient zones.

13. A sanitization compliance monitoring method for a health care environment having patients in patient zones, comprising:

equipping persons with badges, said badges having memory for storing personal protection status data representing personal protections implemented by a person, said badges also having a wireless transmitter/receiver;

before a person wearing a badge enters a patient zone, checking to see whether the person has required personal protection required by that patient zone, by using wireless communication, between the badge and a patient zone beacon associated with that patient zone which beacon stores data representing personal protection requirements of that patient;

wherein the badge produces a warning signal if the person'"'"'s protection is not compliant with the personal protection requirements of the patient.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the personal protection status data represents at least one of gloves, gown, mask and respirator (either N95 or PAPR) personal protection items.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the badge memory also stores data indicating whether a user has been fitted to wear a particular personal protection item, and wherein a warning signal is produced if the personal protections requirements require the particular personal protection item, regardless of whether the user possesses the particular personal protection item.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the particular personal protection item is a respirator.

17. The method of claim 13, further including wirelessly transmitting the results of the checking, and an identification signal identifying the badge, to a central unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wirelessly transmitting includes communicating time stamp data indicating the date and time of each communication of data between a badge with a patient zone beacon.

19. The method of claim 13, further including the step of providing a visual indicator on the badge to indicate whether the personal protection status data stored in the badge is compliant with the personal protections required by the patient zone.

20. The method of claim 13, further including the step of changing the personal protection data in the badge in response to the person obtaining at least one personal protection item from a personal protection item dispenser which dispenses at least one type of personal protection item, by wireless communication between the badge and personal protection item dispenser.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the patient zone is associated with a patient room.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the patient zone is associated with a patient bed.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the patient zone is associated with a patient exam table.

24. The method of claim 13, including the step of storing in badge memory hand hygiene status information representing hand hygiene events indicating the time of the last hand hygiene event of the user, and wherein the badge produces a warning signal in response to the badge'"'"'s user not conducting a hand hygiene event between different patient zones.