Hand hygiene compliance system

• US 9,000,930 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pelland, Michael J., Lowery, Morgan J., Walters, Richard S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/114,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20110291840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.12, 600/300
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A system and method for performing hand hygiene compliance. The method includes receiving a notification that an individual has entered a physical location. The notification is received by a node in a wireless mesh network that includes a plurality of nodes corresponding to objects in the physical location. A hand hygiene protocol is identified for the individual. It is determined that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol. The determining is performed by software executing on the nodes in the wireless mesh network and responsive to a previous and a current location of the individual relative to the objects in the physical location. The individual is notified in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for monitoring the performance of hand hygiene compliance, the method comprising:

identifying, via a node in a wireless mesh network, that an individual has entered a physical location, the wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of nodes corresponding to objects in the physical location, each node comprising at least one network protocol, at least one storage location, and application software;

identifying a hand hygiene protocol for the individual, wherein the identified hand hygiene protocol is based at least in part on one or more nodes in the wireless mesh network and in the vicinity of the individual;

determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol, the determining performed by software executing on one or more nodes in the wireless mesh network and in the vicinity of the individual and responsive to a previous and a current location of the individual relative to the objects in the physical location, based at least in part on communication between two or more nodes that are in the wireless mesh network and are in the vicinity of the individual; and

notifying the individual in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a hand hygiene protocol for the individual is based at least in part on the patient status information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to the patient status information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to detecting activity associated with the hand hygiene protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to characteristics of the physical location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous and the current location of the individual is determined using a real time location system (RTLS).

8. A hand hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of nodes corresponding to objects in a physical location, the plurality of nodes forming a wireless mesh network, each node comprising at least one network protocol, at least one storage location, and application software; and

hand hygiene compliance software for execution on the nodes in the wireless mesh network;

the hand hygiene compliance software, when executed on the nodes of the wireless mesh network, is configured to cause the nodes to at least;

identify that an individual has entered the physical location;

identify a hand hygiene protocol for the individual, wherein the identified hand hygiene protocol is based at least in part on one or more nodes in the wireless mesh network and in the vicinity of the individual;

determine that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol, the determining responsive to a previous and a current location of the individual relative to the objects in the physical location, based at least in part on communication between two or more nodes that are in the wireless mesh network and are in the vicinity of the individual; and

notify the individual in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein identifying a hand hygiene protocol for the individual is based at least in part on the patient status information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to the patient status information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to detecting activity associated with the hand hygiene protocol.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to characteristics of the physical location.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the previous and current location of the individual is determined using a real time location system (RTLS).

15. A computer program product for monitoring the performance of hand hygiene compliance, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

identifying, via a node in a wireless mesh network, that an individual has entered a physical location, the wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of nodes corresponding to objects in the physical location, each node comprising at least one network protocol, at least one storage location, and application software;

identifying a hand hygiene protocol for the individual, wherein the identified hand hygiene protocol is based at least in part on one or more nodes in the wireless mesh network and in the vicinity of the individual;

determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol, the determining performed by software executing on one or more nodes in the wireless mesh network and in the vicinity of the individual and responsive to a previous and a current location of the individual relative to the objects in the physical location, based at least in part on communication between two or more nodes that are in the wireless mesh network and are in the vicinity of the individual; and

notifying the individual in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein identifying a hand hygiene protocol for the individual is based at least in part on the patient status information.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to the patient status information.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to determining that the individual has not followed the hand hygiene protocol.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises transmitting data to a central monitoring location in response to detecting activity associated with the hand hygiene protocol.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the notifying includes one or more of an audio, visual, and haptic alert that is selected in response to characteristics of the physical location.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the previous and the current location of the individual is determined using a real time location system (RTLS).