System and method for monitoring hospital workflow compliance with a hand hygiene network

• US 9,147,334 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proventix Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Proventix Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Long, Avery Dallas, Nix, Harvey Allen, Xin, Feihong, Burtis, Romeo Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US14/024,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring compliance with a plurality of workflow procedures in a hospital or other health care facility using a hand hygiene compliance system (HHC). A control unit of an HHC gathers data based upon the presence, identification, and movement of a plurality of assets, including persons, equipment, or supplies, each having wearable detectable tags, such as RFID tags, and communicates that data to a local or remote server. The server is programmed to monitor or cause compliance with hospital workflow procedures relevant to the communicated data, such as rounding requirements and proper use of equipment, or may generate alarms or notifications where a workflow procedure has not been followed.

Claims

1. A hand hygiene compliance system for use in a facility, the hand hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of wearable badges, each of the wearable badges associated with an asset;

a plurality of control units deployed throughout the facility, each of the control units located in proximity to a hand hygiene dispenser and further comprising a sensor to detect use of the hand hygiene dispenser, a first feedback device, a tag radio and a main radio, the first feedback device displaying a touch-screen or touch-free menu of icons upon the sensor detecting use of the hand hygiene dispenser, the tag radio comprising a first antenna to detect, over a first communications channel, a wireless transmission from at least one of the wearable badges each time the at least one of the wearable badges enters an area of the facility in which one of the control units is located and determine, based upon a signal strength indicator associated with the wireless transmission, whether the at least one of the wearable badges is within a predetermined proximity of the control unit located in the area, the main radio in communication with the tag radio and further comprising a second antenna to communicate over a communications network via a second communications channel;

a server in communication with each of the plurality of control units via the communication network, the server operable to receive from the main radio event data relating to the at least one of the wearable badges that the tag radio determines is within the predetermined proximity of the control unit located in the area; and

a second feedback device;

wherein the server is operable to perfort at least one of the following actions;

(a) generating a report of compliance with a non-hand hygiene related procedure based at least in part on the event data in response to a query by a user and displaying the report on the second feedback device;

(b) selecting at least one hospital procedure relevant to the event data and providing workflow instructions to a person performing the at least one hospital procedure;

or

(c) generating a notification regarding compliance with the non-hand hygiene related procedure in response at least in part to the event data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) a person;

(b) a piece of equipment; and

(c) a supply.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the event data includes at least one of the following:

(a) identity of the asset associated with the at least one of the wearable badges detected by the control unit located in the area;

(b) location of the asset;

(c) time of detection of the asset;

(d) movement of the asset; and

(e) the signal strength indicator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the action performed is (c) and the non-hand hygiene related procedure is a rounding interval for a patient.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the notification comprises a rounding report displayed on the second feedback device which is dynamically updated based on the event data received from the control unit located in the area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the hand hygiene compliance system accesses hospital census data and the notification excludes from the rounding report any unoccupied room.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the hand hygiene compliance system accesses a patient information database and assigns the rounding interval, which is specific to individual patients based upon records in the database.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the second feedback device is a display at a nurses'"'"' station.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the notification directs workflow by identifying a sequence in which patient rooms should be visited to ensure compliance with the non-hand hygiene related procedure.

10. A hand hygiene compliance system for use in a facility, the hand hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of wearable badges, each of the wearable badges associated with an asset;

a plurality of control units, each of the control units located in proximity to a hand hygiene dispenser and further comprising a sensor to detect use of the hand hygiene dispenser, a first feedback device, a tag radio and a main radio, the first feedback device displaying a touch-screen or touch-free menu of icons upon the sensor detecting use of the hand hygiene dispenser, the tag radio comprising a first antenna to detect, over a first communications channel, a wireless transmission from at least one of the wearable badges each time the at least one of the wearable tags enters an area of the facility in which one of the control units is located and determine, based upon a signal strength indicator associated with the wireless transmission, whether the at least one of the wearable badges is within a predetermined proximity of the control unit located in the area, the main radio in communication with the tag radio and further comprising a second antenna to communicate over a communications network via a second communications channel;

a server in communication with each of the control units via the communications network, the server operable to receive from the main radio event data relating to the at least one of the wearable badges that the tag radio determines is within the predetermined proximity of the control unit located in the area; and

a second feedback device;

wherein the server is operable to perform at leas the following actions;

(a) generating a rounding report based at least in part upon the event data in order to monitor compliance with a rounding interval assigned to a patient resident at a healthcare facility; and

(b) displaying said rounding report on the second feedback device, wherein the rounding report is dynamically updated in response at least in part to the event data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the event data includes at least one of the following:

(a) identity of a person associated with one of the at least one of the wearable badges detected by one of the plurality of control units;

(b) location of the person;

(c) time of detection of the person;

(d) movement of the person; and

(e) the signal strength indicator.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the hand hygiene compliance system accesses hospital census data and excludes from the rounding report any unoccupied rooms.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the hand hygiene compliance system accesses a patient information database and assigns the rounding interval to the patient based upon records in the patient information database.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the second feedback device is a display at a nurses'"'"' station.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of patients, and the rounding report directs workflow by identifying a sequence in which each of the plurality of patients should be visited to ensure compliance with a rounding interval specific to each of the plurality of patients.

16. A hand hygiene compliance system, the hand hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of wearable badges, each of the wearable badges associated with an asset;

a plurality of control units, each of the control units located in proximity to a hand hygiene dispenser and further comprising;

(a) a tag radio comprising a first antenna to detect, over a first communications channel, one or more wireless transmissions from a first wearable badge associated with a piece of medical equipment and a second wearable badge associated with a person and determine, based upon a signal strength indicator associated with each of the one or more wireless transmissions, whether the first wearable badge and the second wearable badge are within a predetermined proximity of the control unit;

(b) a main radio in communication with the tag radio and further comprising a second antenna to send and receive data over a communication network via a second communications channel;

(c) a feedback device to display workflow instructions for performing a procedure responsive to identities of both the piece of equipment and the person once the signal strength indicator associated with at least one of the one or more wireless transmissions from the first wearable badge and second wearable badge indicates both badges are within the predetermined proximity of the control unit; and

(d) a sensor to detect use of the hand hygiene dispenser, the feedback device displaying a touch-screen or touch-free menu of icons upon the sensor detecting use of the hand hygiene dispenser.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit requires input from the person performing the procedure via the feedback device to confirm compliance with the procedure.

18. A method for using a hand hygiene compliance (HHC) system comprising a plurality of wearable badges, a plurality of control units further comprising a first feedback device, and a server to monitor compliance with patient rounding intervals assigned to patients resident at a healthcare facility, the method comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, use of a hand hygiene dispenser, and displaying on the first feedback device of one of the control units, a touch-screen or touch-free menu of icons upon the sensor detecting use of the hand hygiene dispenser;

a first antenna associated with a tag radio of one of the control units detecting, over a first communications channel, a wireless transmission from one of the wearable badges worn by a person, the one of the control units located in proximity to the hand hygiene dispenser and corresponding to a room or area in which a patient of the healthcare facility is resident;

the tag radio determining the person is within a predetermined proximity of the one of the control units based upon a signal strength indicator associated with the wireless transmission;

the tag radio reading an identification code assigned to the one of the wearable badges that identifies the person wearing the one of the wearable badges and is embedded in the wireless transmission;

a second antenna associated with a main radio of the one of the control units transmitting the identification code over a communications network to the server via a second communications channel;

the server, based upon the identification code, identifying the person as being included on a list of authorized personnel;

the server recording a time when the person was within the predetermined proximity of the one of the control units; and

the server generating a rounding report to monitor compliance with a rounding interval associated with the patient based upon the recorded time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising repeating the identifying and recording steps each time a person included on the list of authorized personnel comes within the predetermined proximity of the one of the control units and updating the rounding report based on the time associated with the most recent iteration of the recording step.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying the rounding report on a second feedback device wherein the rounding report is updated at least in part each time a person included on the list of authorized personnel comes within the predetermined proximity of the one of the control units.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising updating the rounding report if no person included on the list of authorized personnel comes within the predetermined proximity for a preselected time period.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the preselected time period corresponds to a time period selected from the group consisting of:

the rounding interval less a specified duration;

the rounding interval; and

the rounding interval plus a specified duration.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second feedback device provides a visual or auditory notification corresponding to each of the preselected time periods.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising updating the rounding report if no person included on the list of authorized personnel comes within the predetermined proximity for a preselected time period.