Wireless Hand Hygiene Monitoring System

• US 20100328076A1
• Filed: 06/24/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mairiner Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Stable Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Brink, Jeffery Donald, McIsaac, Leigh Francis, Kyle, James Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method and mobile electronic device for monitoring hand hygiene policy compliance is provided. The device comprises a radio transceiver and is configured to detect proximity to base stations by measuring radio signal strength from the base stations and to communicate the proximity information to a central computer via the radio transceiver and to receive notification of compliance or non-compliance with the hand hygiene policy from the central computer. The central computer determines compliance by tracking the location of device in relation to the base stations and monitoring hand hygiene events reported by hand hygiene base stations.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring hand hygiene policy in a communication system that includes at least one mobile electronic device having a radio transceiver, at least one wireless base station and a central computer, comprising:

detecting through the radio transceiver of the mobile electronic device at least one signal of at least one radio transmitter of at least one base station;

communicating signal strength data indicating the strength of at least one signal from the mobile electronic device to the central computer by means of the radio transceiver; and

determining at the central computer whether a user of the mobile electronic device is in compliance with a hand hygiene policy based at least partially on the signal strength data received from the mobile electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one base station comprises a hand hygiene station at which the user can perform a hand hygiene event, the hand hygiene station comprising a usage sensor adapted to detect a hand hygiene event at the hand hygiene station, further comprising the steps of:

sensing a hand hygiene event at the hand hygiene station by means of the usage sensor; and

communicating data indicating the sensed hand hygiene event from the hand hygiene station to the central computer by means of a radio transmitter of the hand hygiene station;

wherein determining at the central computer whether the user is in compliance with the hand hygiene policy is also based on the hand hygiene event data from the hand hygiene station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether the user is in compliance comprises determining whether the user has cleaned his or her hands by:

determining, in dependence on the signal strength data, that the user was within a first predetermined proximity to the hand hygiene station when the hand hygiene event occurred; and

determining, in dependence on the signal strength data, that the user remained within a second predetermined proximity to the hand hygiene station for a predetermined length of time after the hand hygiene event occurred.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the communications system includes at least one infection risk station that includes a radio transmitter and indicates a a location where individuals have a higher risk of receiving or transmitting infection, the method further comprising:

detecting through the radio transceiver of the mobile electronic device a signal sent from the radio transmitter of the infection risk station;

communicating data indicating the strength of the signal from the infection risk station to the central computer by means of the radio transceiver;

wherein determining whether the user is in compliance comprises determining, based on the data indicating the strength of the signal from the infection risk station, whether the user has cleaned his or her hands within a second predetermined length of time before entering a predetermined proximity of the infection risk station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting by the radio transceiver of the mobile electronic device a signal sent from a radio transmitter of a further infection risk station;

communicating data indicating the strength of the signal from the further infection risk station to the central computer by means of the radio transceiver;

and the step of determining whether the user is in compliance further comprises;

determining, based on the data indicating the strengths of the signals from the infection risk stations, that the user has washed his or her hands after coming into proximity with the infection risk station and before coming into proximity of the further infection risk station.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the hand hygiene station dispenses hand hygiene fluid, further comprising the steps of:

determining at the central computer whether a hand hygiene station has exhausted its supply of hand hygiene fluid by counting the number of hand hygiene events reported by the hand hygiene station since the fluid was last replenished; and

wherein determining at the central computer whether the user is in compliance with the hand hygiene policy is based on the signal strength data received from the mobile electronic device, the hand hygiene event data from the hand hygiene station, and the determination as to whether the hand hygiene fluid has been exhausted.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending an alert message from the central computer to the mobile electronic device if the user is determined to be out of compliance with the hand hygiene policy.

8. A method for monitoring hand hygiene policy compliance for a system that includes a plurality of mobile electronic devices each associated with a device user, a plurality of hand hygiene stations at which device users can perform hand hygiene events and that are each enabled to transmit wireless signals, and a central computer enabled to exchange messages with the mobile electronic devices using a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving at the central computer messages from the wireless network sent by at least some of the mobile electronic devices, at least some of the messages including proximity information representing the proximity of the sending mobile electronic devices to one or more of the hand hygiene stations; and

determining at the central computer whether the mobile electronic device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy at least partially in dependence on the proximity information.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising:

receiving at the central computer usage information indicating when a hand hygiene event has occurred at a hand hygiene station,

wherein determining at the central computer whether the mobile electronic device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy is done in dependence on both the proximity information and the usage information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the usage information is received by the central computer through messages sent through the wireless network by a hand hygiene station that has been used to perform a hand hygiene event.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the usage information is received by the central computer as messages sent from one or more of the mobile electronic devices.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the proximity information that is received by the central computer from a mobile electronic device includes an indication of the signal strength of one or more hand hygiene stations that the mobile electronic device has received wireless communications signals from and a hand hygiene station identifier for each one of the respective one or more hand hygiene stations.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the mobile electronic devices and the hand hygiene stations each have unique media access control (MAC) addresses within the wireless network, the central computer maintaining a database identifying the mobile electronic device and the hand hygiene stations within the system by their respective MAC addresses, wherein the hand hygiene station identifier, includes the MAC address for the respective hand hygiene station.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein determining at the central computer whether device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy includes determining, for a respective mobile electronic device, if the respective mobile electronic device has been within a threshold proximity range of a respective hand hygiene station for a threshold time period in dependence on the proximity information received from the respective mobile electronic device.

15. The method of claim 8 comprising, upon determining that the device user associated with a mobile electronic device is not in compliance with the hand hygiene policy, then sending an alert message informing of the non-compliance from the central computer addressed to the mobile electronic device associated with the device user.

16. An automated system for monitoring compliance with a hand hygiene policy at a facility having a wireless local area network (WLAN), the system comprising:

a compliance computer in communication with the WLAN;

a plurality of hand hygiene stations at the facility, each of the hand hygiene stations being associated with a location where a hand hygiene event can be performed and enabled to communicate with the WLAN; and

a plurality of mobile electronic devices enabled to communicate with the WLAN, each being associated with a device user and being configured to periodically measure received signal strengths of signals received from the hand hygiene stations and send messages to the compliance computer through the WLAN that includes proximity information representing the measured received signal strengths and identifying the hand hygiene stations from which the signals were received;

wherein the compliance computer is configured to determine whether the mobile electronic device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy at least partially in dependence on the proximity information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance computer is configured to send alert messages to the mobile electronic devices associated with device users that are determined not to be in compliance with the hand hygiene policy.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance computer is to determine whether a mobile electronic device user is in compliance with the hand hygiene policy by determining, in dependence on the proximity information, if the mobile electronic device associated with the particular mobile electronic device user is within a proximity range of one of the hand hygiene stations for a predetermined time duration.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein at least some of the hand hygiene stations include a usage sensor for detecting when a hand hygiene event has occurred and are configured to send messages to the compliance computer through the WLAN indicating the occurrence of a hand hygiene event, the compliance computer being configured to determine whether mobile electronic device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy in dependence on both the proximity information received from the mobile electronic devices and messages received from the hand hygiene stations indicating the occurrence of hand hygiene events.

20. The system of claim 16 including a plurality of infection risk stations at the facility, the infection risk stations each being associated with a location having a high risk of infection occurring and enabled to communicate with the WLAN,

wherein the mobile electronic devices are configured to periodically measure received signal strengths of signals received from the infection risk stations and include in the messages sent to the compliance computer through the WLAN information infection risk station proximity information representing the measured received signal strengths and identifying the infection risk stations from which the signals were received;

and wherein the compliance computer is configured to determine whether the mobile electronic device users are in compliance with the hand hygiene policy also in dependence on the infection risk station proximity information.