Hygiene compliance system

• US 9,959,743 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Morgan, Matthew D., Lingenfelser, Joshua P., Smith, Bradley T., Saucier, Christian, Robinson, Andrew S., Wildman, Timothy D., Walton, Kelly F., Hamalainen, Hailey R., Perry, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/680,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20170345280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5731, 3406866, 22 64
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a hygiene compliance system includes a handwash sensor, a badge, an occupant sensor, and a remote computer. The sensors and the badge may communicate with the remote computer to provide information regarding hygiene events. The hygiene compliance system determines whether the hygiene events comply with a hygiene operations scheme.

Claims

1. A hygiene compliance system, comprising:

a handwash sensor configured to transmit a handwash signal indicative of handwash device operation,

at least one badge worn by a badged-person and configured to transmit a badge signal,

an occupant sensor configured to detect a number of persons in a room and to transmit an occupant signal that is used to determine the number of persons in the room, and

a remote computer configured to communicate with the handwash sensor and the occupant sensor,

wherein the remote computer determines a hygiene compliance rate based on the handwash signal and the occupant signal, and

wherein the hygiene compliance rate is based on a badged-handwash compliance rate comprising a number of badged-person handwash events compared to a number of required badged-person handwash events, and an unadjusted compliance rate comprising a number of total handwash events compared to a number of required total handwash events.

2. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer is configured to determine the number of required total handwash events based on the number of occupants in the room detected by the occupant sensor.

3. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, further comprising an interaction sensor, wherein the remote computer is configured to determine the number of required total handwash events based on an interaction signal indicative of interaction with a healthcare device as sensed by the interaction sensor.

4. The hygiene compliance system of claim 3, wherein the healthcare device comprises a hospital bed and the interaction sensor is configured to sense interaction with the hospital bed.

5. The hygiene compliance system of claim 4, wherein the hospital bed is configured to transmit the interaction signal indicative of interaction with the hospital bed.

6. The hygiene compliance system of claim 4, wherein the interaction sensor is configured to sense a movement of a siderail of the hospital bed and the interaction signal is indicative of siderail movement.

7. The hygiene compliance system of claim 4, wherein the interaction signal is sent in response to an exterior bed control being used.

8. The hygiene compliance system of claim 4, wherein the interaction sensor is configured to sense an adjustment of a position of a backrest of the hospital bed.

9. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the at least one badge, when within a predetermined proximity of the handwash sensor, receives a handwash sensor identification code and the handwash signal from the handwash sensor, and the at least one badge transmits the badge signal to the remote computer indicating the handwash sensor identification code, a badge identification code, and the handwash signal.

10. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the handwash sensor is configured to receive a badge identification code from the at least one badge being within a predetermined proximity of the handwash sensor, and to transmit a message to the remote computer indicating a handwash sensor identification code, the badge identification code, and the handwash signal.

11. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer is configured to determine whether the hygiene compliance rate violates a threshold dictated by a hygiene operations scheme.

12. The hygiene compliance system of claim 11, wherein the remote computer is configured to transmit an indicator signal indicating that the hygiene compliance rate violates the threshold to a local indicator to activate the local indicator to indicate non-compliance with the hygiene operation scheme.

13. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer is configured to generate a report including a hygiene compliance rate associated with an individual caregiver and to automatically transmit an electronic message to the individual caregiver indicating the hygiene compliance rate associated with the individual caregiver.

14. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer is configured to automatically retrieve staff assignments from other hospital systems.

15. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the handwash devices comprises at least one of the following:

a sink, a soap dispenser, a gel dispenser, or a foam dispenser.

16. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, further comprising a real time locating system (RTLS), the badge being included as part of the RTLS, and the RTLS system including at least one receiver in wireless communication with the badge, and at least one server in communication with the receiver and with the remote computer.

17. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the occupant sensor detects entry and exit of people into and out of the room.

18. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the occupant sensor comprise infrared (IR) light beam emitters and receivers placed near a doorway of the room.

19. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the occupant sensor comprises a camera that captures images of people in the room.

20. The hygiene compliance system of claim 1, wherein the occupant sensor comprises a camera that sense heat signatures of people in the room.