Hand hygiene compliance monitoring system

• US 9,672,726 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Borke, Brian S., Lanouette, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US13/291,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,037 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 34053912, 3405731, 3405721, 340571, 340307
• 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

Abstract

A hand hygiene compliance monitoring system includes a method and computer program product for performing sanitation compliance monitoring including receiving sanitation compliance data. The sanitation compliance data includes a zone identifier corresponding to a first device in a zone and an entity identifier corresponding to a second device attached to a mobile entity in the zone. The zone is defined by an area over which the first device and the second device communicate via one-way or two-way communication. It is determined whether the entity is compliant with a sanitation protocol associated with the zone, and a database is updated with results of the determining.

Claims

1. A method for performing sanitation compliance monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer, sanitation compliance data comprising a zone identifier corresponding to a first device in a zone and an entity identifier corresponding to a second device attached to a mobile entity in the zone, the zone defined by an area over which the first device and the second device communicate via one-way or two-way communication, wherein the zone is one of a target zone or a sanitation zone, the computer storing information associating each target zone with one or more approved sanitation zones, and wherein if the zone is a target zone, the zone does not overlap with a sanitation zone and if the zone is a sanitation zone, the zone does not overlap with a target zone;

determining whether the mobile entity is compliant with a sanitation protocol associated with the zone, whereby compliance with the sanitation protocol associated with the zone is based at least in part on use of one of the one or more approved sanitation zones by the mobile entity and wherein use of a sanitation zone other than one of the one or more approved sanitation zones is not in compliance with the sanitation protocol; and

updating a database with results of the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the area of the zone by physically moving the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the area of the zone does not overlap the area of another zone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the zone is a target zone and the determining whether the zone is compliant with a sanitation protocol comprises determining a sanitation zone that is approved for the target zone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the target zone has one approved sanitation zone.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether the mobile entity is compliant with a sanitation protocol further comprises verifying that the sanitation zone that is approved for the target zone is the most previous recorded activity of the mobile entity before the mobile entity entered the target zone.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether the mobile entity is compliant with a sanitation protocol further comprises verifying that the sanitation zone that is approved for the target zone is a next recorded activity of the mobile entity after it exits the target zone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the mobile entity is compliant with a sanitation protocol comprises verifying that the mobile entity has satisfied a criteria of the sanitation protocol within a predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target zone is a contamination zone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile entity is a health care worker.

11. A method for performing sanitation compliance monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving a notification at a circuit in a mobile entity identification (ID) tag that a zone ID tag has been detected, each zone ID tag corresponding to a zone and having a unique zone zone and each of the sanitation zones do not overlap, and each target zone is associated with (a) one or more approved sanitation zones and (b) a sanitation protocol, whereby compliance with the sanitation protocol associated with the zone is based at least in part on use of one of the one or more approved sanitation zones by the health care worker, and wherein use of a sanitation zone other than one of the one or more approved sanitation zones is not in compliance with the sanitation protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising deleting contents of the database in response to the transmitting.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile entity tag is a radio frequency transceiver and the zone tag is a radio frequency transmitter or transceiver.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile entity ID tag includes a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader and the zone ID tag is a RFID tag.

15. A system for performing sanitation compliance monitoring, the system comprising:

a first device in communication with a database;

one or more second devices in communication with the database;

a target zone defined by a first area over which a mobile device worn by a health care worker and the first device communicate; and

one or more sanitation zones each defined by a second area over which the mobile device worn by the health care worker and one of the second devices communicate, wherein the target identifier, wherein each zone is one of a target zone or a sanitation zone, each target zone being associated with one or more approved sanitation zones and each target zone being associated with a compliance protocol, whereby compliance with the compliance protocol associated with each target zone is based at least in part on use of one of the one or more approved sanitation zones by a mobile entity associated with the mobile entity ID tag, wherein use of a sanitation zone other than one of the one or more approved sanitation zones is not in compliance with the sanitation protocol, and wherein if the zone is a target zone, the zone does not overlap with a sanitation zone and if the zone is a sanitation zone, the zone does not overlap with a target zone;

storing, in a database on the mobile entity ID tag, the unique zone identifier corresponding to the zone ID tag, the storing in response to the receiving; and

periodically transmitting contents of the database to a central computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first device transmits data to the database responsive to a communication between the first device and the mobile device worn by the health care worker, and the second device transmits data to the database responsive to a communication between the second device and the mobile device worn by the health care worker.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data transmitted by the first device includes a unique identifier associated with the first device, a unique identifier associated with the mobile device, and a time stamp.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the target zone is a contamination zone.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the target zone is an aseptic zone.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein a sensor suite is located in the sanitation zone and the sensor suite is in communication with the second device.