Early warning of non-compliance with an established workflow in a work area

• US 9,830,800 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Mi Sun, Yang, Lei, Woo, Jung, Shahidzadeh, Shahrokh
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US15/087,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731, 3405721, 34053911
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6889 Rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• 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 system for early warning of non-compliance with an established workflow in a work area includes a radio frequency (RF) sensor configured to detect each of a plurality of RF signals located within the work area, and a monitoring system operably connected to the RF sensor. The monitoring system is configured to compare a temporal sequence of detected RF signals to a predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow, and to determine whether a warning condition exists based on the comparison. The RF signals can be emitted by RFID tags within the work area, such as a patient room of a healthcare provider, and the RFID tags may be associated with a hand sanitizing station, an intravenous solution dispenser, and a healthcare provider staff member, each of which play a role in reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infections through compliance with corresponding patient safety protocols.

Claims

1. An early warning system for non-compliance with an established workflow in a work area, the system comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) sensor configured to detect each of a plurality of RF signals within the work area; and

a monitoring system operably connected to the RF sensor, the monitoring system configured to

compare a temporal sequence of at least two different RF signals detected by the RF sensor to a predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow; and

determine whether a warning condition exists based on the comparison.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) tag configured to emit at least one of the RF signals detectable by the RF sensor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one RFID tag is one of an ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tag, a high frequency (HF) RFID tag, and a low frequency (LF) RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the at least one RFID tag comprises at least one hand sanitizing station RFID tag mounted proximally to a hand sanitizing station located within the patient room.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one hand sanitizing station RFID tag is mounted on one of a wall of the patient room and a floor of the patient room.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the at least one RFID tag comprises at least one intravenous solution RFID tag mounted proximally to an intravenous solution dispenser located within the patient room.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the intravenous solution RFID tag is attached to a side of the intravenous solution dispenser.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the at least one RFID tag comprises a staff member RFID tag associated with a healthcare facility staff member and configured to be carried by the staff member while the staff member occupies the patient room.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a warning indicator operably connected to the monitoring system and configured to generate a cue including at least one of a human-perceptible audible cue and a human-perceptible visual cue, wherein the monitoring system is further configured to cause the warning indicator to generate the cue in response to determining that the warning condition exists.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor differs from the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow, thereby indicating non-compliance with the established workflow.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow comprises:

at least one RF signal representing all of a plurality of hand sanitizing station RFID tags each mounted proximally to a hand sanitizing station located within the patient room;

followed by

at least one RF signal representing fewer than all of the hand sanitizing station RFID tags over at least a predetermined period of time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow further comprises at least one RF signal representing a staff member RFID tag associated with a healthcare facility staff member prior to the at least one RF signal representing fewer than all of the hand sanitizing station RFID tags.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor is the same as the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and the predetermined temporal sequence of RF signals associated with the established workflow comprises:

at least one RF signal representing any of a plurality of intravenous solution dispenser RFID tags each mounted proximally to an intravenous solution dispenser located within the patient room;

followed by

at least one RF signal representing all except one of the intravenous solution dispenser RFID tags.

15. A method for providing an early warning of non-compliance with an established workflow in a work area, the method comprising:

detecting, by a radio frequency (RF) sensor, each of a plurality of RF signals located within the work area;

comparing, by a monitoring system operably connected to the RF sensor, a temporal sequence of at least two different RF signals detected by the RF sensor to a predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow; and

determining, by the monitoring system, that a warning condition exists based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

causing, by the monitoring system, a warning indicator operably connected to the monitoring system to generate at least one of a human-perceptible audible cue and a human-perceptible visual cue in response to determining that the warning condition exists.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor differs from the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and wherein the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow comprises:

at least one RF signal representing all of a plurality of hand sanitizing station radio frequency identification (RFID) tags each mounted proximally to a hand sanitizing station located within the patient room;

followed by

at least one RF signal representing fewer than all of the hand sanitizing station RFID tags over at least a predetermined period of time.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow further comprises at least one RF signal representing a staff member RFID tag associated with a healthcare facility staff member prior to the at least one RF signal representing fewer than all of the hand sanitizing station RFID tags.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor is the same as the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the work area is a patient room of a healthcare facility, and wherein the predetermined temporal sequence of RF signals associated with the established workflow comprises:

at least one RF signal representing any of a plurality of intravenous solution dispenser radio frequency identification (RFID) tags each mounted proximally to an intravenous solution dispenser located within the patient room;

followed by

at least one RF signal representing all except one of the intravenous solution dispenser RFID tags.

22. A non-transitory computer program product having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform a process comprising:

receiving, from a radio frequency (RF) sensor, each of a plurality of RF signals detected within a work area;

comparing a temporal sequence of at least two different RF signals to a predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with an established workflow; and

determining that a warning condition exists based on the comparison.

23. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 22, wherein the process further comprises:

causing a warning indicator to generate at least one of a human-perceptible audible cue and a human-perceptible visual cue in response to determining that the warning condition exists.

24. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 22, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor differs from the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow.

25. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 22, wherein the warning condition exists while the temporal sequence of the RF signals detected by the RF sensor is the same as the predetermined temporal sequence of the RF signals associated with the established workflow.