Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HYGIENE MONITORING SYSTEM
Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for monitoring compliance with
hygiene policies.
Background of the Invention
Systems to promote hygiene have been used in the healthcare industries as
well as the food processing and preparation industries. See for example, US
Patent
6,125, 482, US Patent 6,038,331, US Patent 5,966,573, US Patent 5,952,924, US
Patent 5,954,069, US Patent 5,945,910, US Patent 5,939,974, US Patent
5,900,801,
US Patent 5,812,059, US Patent 5,793,653, US Patent 5,781,942, US Patent
5,610,589, US Patent 5,202,666, and US Patent 5,199,118.
Summary of the Invention
Hygiene monitoring systems, which incorporate various features of the present
invention, monitor location of persons in a facility, location of equipment in
the
facility, activities performed by persons in the facility, activities
performed by
equipment in the facility, and/or activities performed on equipment in the
facility.
From such gathered information, the hygiene monitoring systems determine
whether
certain actions (e.g. washing of a person's hands, washing of a piece of
equipment)
need to take place in order to comply with a hygiene policy defined for the
facility.
The hygiene monitoring systems may evaluate level of compliance with the
hygiene
policy, and provide persons with information (e.g. alerts, reminders, etc.)
which aid in
increasing the level of compliance with the hygiene policy.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a hygiene monitoring system which
incorporates various features of the present invention therein;
Fig. 2 shows a caregiver wearing a badge interacting with a handwashing
device of the hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 3 shows a patient room and exemplary alarm units of the exemplary
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hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 4 shows an exemplary hygiene compliance report being displayed by an
exemplary master station of the exemplary hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 5 shows a pictorial representation of a multi-zonal patient room;
Fig. 6 shows a flowchart representation of first handwashing logic used by the
hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 7 shows an exemplary path that a caregiver may take through a facility
over a period of time;
Fig. 8 shows a flowchart representation of second handwashing logic which
may be used by the hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 9 shows a flowchart representation of equipment decontamination logic
which may be used by the hygiene monitoring system;
Fig. 10 shows a sample hospital summary compliance report;
Fig. 11 shows a sample department summary compliance report;
Fig. 12 shows a sample group summary compliance report;
Fig. 13A shows a sample individual summary compliance report;
Fig. 13B shows a sample individual detailed compliance report; and
Fig. 14 shows an exemplary user interface of the hygiene monitoring system.
Detailed Description of Exemplar~of the Present Invention
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative
forms, exemplary embodiments,thereof have been shown by way of example in the
drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood,
however,
that there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular forms
disclosed, but on
the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
Hygiene Monitoring System Architecture
Figures 1-4 illustrate an exemplary hygiene monitoring system 100 which
incorporates various features of the present invention therein. In general,
the hygiene
monitoring system 100 is operable to monitor compliance with a particular
hygiene
policy defined for a facility. To this end, the exemplary hygiene monitoring
system
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100 includes handwashing devices 101, sensors 108 associated with the
handwashing
devices 101, caregiver badges 112, equipment badges 113 for monitoring
equipment
115, alert indicators 116, sensors 118 operable to communicate with caregiver
badges
112 and equipment badges 113, usage sensors 119 associated with monitored
equipment 115, cleaning sensors 121 associated with monitored equipment 115,
and a
master station 129.
The master station 129 includes memory 125, a processing unit 126 and
software stored in the memory 125. The software when executed by the
processing
unit 126 generally causes the master station 129 to monitor persons and
equipment
within the facility to monitor compliance with a hygiene policy defined for
the
facility. More specifically the master station 129 is operable to generate a
compliance
report 128 based upon the processing of data by the central processing unit
126.
Examples of compliance reports are shown in Fig. 4, 10-12, 13A, 13B, and 14.
Further, the master station 129 may be hardwired to the sensors 108, 118, 119,
121 in
order to receive and/or transmit information therebetween. Alternatively, the
master
station 129 may communicate wirelessly with the sensors 108, 118, 119, 121.
The caregiver badges 112 are generally worn by persons to be monitored such
as caregiver 110 shown in Fig. 2. The caregiver badges 112 are generally
operable to
communication identification information to the sensors 108, 118. Accordingly,
the
badges 112 and the sensors 108, 118 generally each include a receiver, a
transmitter, a
combination transmitter and receiver, a transceiver, or other receiving or
transmitting
mechanisms suitable for communicating identification information between the
badges 112 and the sensors 108, 118.
For example, each badge 112 of the exemplary embodiment includes an
infrared (IR) transmitter which transmits an identification signal 109, which
may
include, for example an identification code specific to the person wearing the
badge
112. Further, each sensor 108, 118 of the exemplary embodiment includes a
receiver
operable to receive the identification signals 109 transmitted by badges 112.
Further,
each sensor 108, 118 is operable to forward the information received to the
master
station 129. In this manner, the location of each caregiver 110 wearing a
badge 112
may be tracked as the caregiver 110 moves throughout the facility. Besides
providing
the master station 129 with identification information about the caregiver
110,
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functions (e.g. deactivating a nurse call light) may be triggered upon
reception of the
identification signal by a sensor 118 associated with the function (e.g. a
sensor in the
patient room associated with the nurse call light).
In an exemplary embodiment, each badge 112 includes an IR transmitter. The
IR transmitter transmits the identification signal 109 to master station 129
via the
sensors 108, 118. For example, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2, the
IR
transmitter of a badge 112 transmits the identification signal 109 to an IR
receiver of
a sensor 108 mounted above a
a handwashing device such as sink 102. The sensor 108 then provides the
information
received via the identification signal 109 to the master station 129 for
further
processing and recording.
Each badge 112 may further include an RF transmitter which also transmits
the identification signal 109 to the master station 129. The advantage of
transmitting
using both the IR and RF transmitters is that if the IR transmitter becomes
obscured
the RF signal should still be detectable. The RF transmitter may also be used
to
transmit an alert signal in response to the pressing of a button on the badge
112.
Each badge 112 may further include an RF receiver that is operable to receive
a signal, such as handwash signal 184 in Fig. 5, from the master station 129,
wherein
the signal includes the identification information for the badge 112 and
status
information about the caregiver 110 wearing the badge 112. The status
information
relates to the caregiver's compliance with the handwashing standards.
Dependent
upon the type of status received, the badge 112 is operable to activate either
a visual,
audible or tactile alert indicator 116.
In one embodiment of the hygiene monitoring system 100, visitors and
patients are also provided with badges 112 so that their movements throughout
the
facility may be monitored. In such an embodiment, visitors and patients are
given
active badges which actively transmit an identification signal. In an
alternative
embodiment, visitors and patients are given passive badges which transmit an
identification signal when polled by anyone of a plurality of transmitters
located
throughout the facility. The advantage of the passive badges are that they are
relatively inexpensive and have a limited read range (approximately nine
feet). The
limited read range of the passive badges allows the location of the visitors
and patients
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(or other objects) to be tracked more closely. By providing badges 112 to
visitors the
system is able to track the exposure each visitor and hence the patient's they
come in
contact with has had with other contamination zones. Additionally, providing
badges
112 to the patients allows the system to track the exposure each patient has
with other
contamination zones within the facility as the patient moves about the
facility.
The equipment badges 113 are generally attached to equipment 115 (e.g. IV
pumps, ventilators, carts, diagnostic equipment, or the like) to be monitored
by the
hygiene monitoring system 100 and generally enable the location of equipment
115 to
be tracked throughout the facility. The equipment badges 113 are generally
operable
to communicate identification information to the sensors 118. Accordingly, the
badges 113 and the sensors 118 generally each include a receiver, a
transmitter, a
combination transmitter and receiver, a transceiver, or other receiving or
transmitting
mechanisms suitable for communicating identification information between the
badges 113 and the sensors 118. As a result of providing the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 with information concerning the location of equipment 115, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 may further base determinations of hygiene compliance
based
upon the location of the equipment 115 and/or persons' interactions with such
equipment 115.
The usage sensors 119 are generally associated with equipment 115 in the
facility and generally enable the hygiene monitoring system 100 to monitor the
use of
such equipment 115. For example, the usage sensors 119 may be attached to the
electrical plug of the equipment 115 to determine whether the equipment 115 is
drawing a current. Further, the usage sensors 119 may be included in the
equipment
badge 113 or be separate from the equipment badge 113 attached to the
equipment
115. The usage sensors 119 enable the hygiene monitoring system 100 to base
determinations of hygiene compliance upon actual use of equipment 115.
Furthermore, by reporting when the equipment 115 is activated and de-
activated, the
usage sensors 119 enable the hospital to charge patients for the actual amount
of time
the equipment 115 was used instead of utilizing national averages based on the
type of
illness of the patient.
Likewise, the cleaning sensors 121 are generally associated with equipment
115 in the facility and generally enable the hygiene monitoring system 100 to
monitor
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cleaning of such equipment 115 by providing the hygiene monitoring system 100
with
information associated with the cleaning of the equipment 115. For example,
the
cleaning sensors 121 may be implemented as a switch or button which when
activated
provides the master station 129 with information indicating that there as been
an
attempt to clean the equipment 115. Alternatively, the cleaning sensors 121
may be
implemented to detect moisture and/or physical contact associated with the
cleaning
process. In an exemplary embodiment, the master station 129 and/or the
cleaning
sensor 121 further ensures that adequate cleaning of the equipment 115 has
been
performed by requiring that the person cleaning the equipment 115 be in the
proximity
of the equipment 115 for a minimum amount of time and/or moisture associated
with
the cleaning process be detected for the minimum amount of time and/or
physical
contact associated with the cleaning process be detected for the minimum
amount of
time.
The equipment badges 113 may be implemented in the same manner as the
caregiver badges 112. Alternatively, the equipment badges 113 may be
implemented
with general active badges which actively transmit a signal including the
state of the
associated usage sensor 119, the state of the associated cleaning sensor 121
and
identification information associated with the equipment 115. As yet another
alternative, the equipment badges 113 may be implemented as passive badges
which
transmit a signal including the state of the associated usage sensor 119, the
state of the
associated cleaning sensor 121 and the identification information for the
equipment
115 when polled by the hygiene monitoring system 100. To support the passive
badge
embodiment, the hygiene monitoring system 100 may include transmitters in the
patient room to poll the passive badges. The transmitters, in one embodiment,
further
include an associated sensor to detect the signals transmitted by the badges.
The badges 112, 113 and sensor 108, 118 may further utilize anti-collision
technology which allows for information to be transferred between a single
sensor
108, 118 and multiple badges 112, 113 in a simultaneous or pseudo-simultaneous
(e.g.
TDMA, CDMA) manner. Any commercially available anti-collision technology may
be used. Use of this technology allows for several badges 112, 113 to be
detected at
the same time by the same sensor 108, 118 thereby providing the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 with the ability to identify caregivers and equipment 115 in close
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proximity to one another and accurately track their respective hygiene status.
Thus,
when a team of doctors and nurses is caring for a patient, the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 is able to identify the individual persons within the group of
caregivers
and monitor their hygiene status. Likewise, the hygiene monitoring system 100
is
operable to determine individual persons of a group of persons in front of a
particular
handwashing device 101 during a handwashing.
Additional details concerning the structure and function of a suitable system
for locating and tracking persons and which may be utilized to support various
other
features of the present invention are disclosed in US Patent 5,561,412, the
disclosure
of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Another location and tracking
system is
disclosed in the co-pending U.S. application 08/963,396 which is hereby
incorporated
by reference. Additional location and tracking systems are disclosed in US
Patents
4,275,385; 4.601,064; Re 35,035; 5,633,742; 5,745,272; 5,818,617; 5,119,104;
5,387,993; 5,548,637; 5,572,195; 5,291,399; 5,455,851; 5,465,082; 5,515,426;
5,594,786; 5,689,229; 5,822,418; 5,822,544; 5,699,038 and 5,838,223.
Shown in Fig. 2 is an exemplary sink 102 which may be used to implement the
handwashing devices 101 of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the
exemplary
sink 102 includes a "hand free" faucet 104 having an IR sensor and an faucet
monitoring device 106. However, it is within the scope of the present
invention to
include a faucet 104 which is not "hands free" and a separate IR sensor or an
IR
sensor that is activated upon activation of the faucet 104. Water is dispensed
from
faucet 104 when the presence of the caregiver's hands 107 are detected by
faucet
monitoring device 106 or when the caregiver otherwise activates faucet 104.
The IR
sensor of the "hands free" faucet 104 senses the heat (IR energy) radiated
from
caregiver hands 107. The sensed heat is an indication to faucet monitoring
device 106
that hands 107 are positioned below the faucet and are ready to be wetted.
Upon
activation of faucet 104 a washing compliance signal is generated and
forwarded to
master station 129 by faucet monitoring device 106.
Alternatively, the faucet monitoring device 106 may include a photosensor or
other type of non-contact sensor. Additionally, a sensor may be mounted within
faucet 104 to determine when water is expelled from faucet 104. Yet another
alternative faucet monitoring device 106 includes a sensor 120 on a soap
dispenser
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121 to monitor the usage of soap during the handwashing. Faucet monitoring
device
106 could include multiple sensors such as an IR sensor to sense the presence
of
hands 107 and a soap dispenser sensor 120 to detect the usage of soap during
washing.
The compliance signal generated by faucet monitoring device 106 and the
identification signal received by sensor 108 combine to provide information
about the
identity of caregiver 110 in front of sink 102 and whether or not caregiver
110 washed
his/her hands 107. Both signals are generated and recorded without any input
required
from caregiver 110. In the exemplary embodiment, the compliance signal is
generated
over eleven input lines which connect faucet monitoring device 106 with sensor
108,
one line for each bit. The first eight bits communicate data from the faucet
monitoring device 106 to sensor 108 while the last three bits communicate data
from
sensor 108 to faucet monitoring device 106. Bit 1 is used as a fault bit. A
"0" value
indicates that the faucet is operating properly while a "1" value indicates
that the
faucet is not operating properly. Bits 2 and 3 are handwashing status bits.
The
combination of bits 2 and 3 have the following states: "00" no handwashing
procedure
in progress, "10" handwashing procedure in progress, "11" successful
handwashing
procedure, and "O1" failed handwashing procedure. Bits 4-8 provide an
indication as
to the maintenance status of the various components related to faucet
monitoring
device 106, such as faucet 104 and soap dispenser 121. A "1" value for bit 4
indicates
that the soap container is low, a "1" value for bit 5 indicates that the soap
caseate
needs to be changed, a "1" value for bit 6 indicates that the soap path needs
to be
changed, and a "1" value for bit 7 indicates that the towel container is low.
It is within
the scope the invention to monitor various other parameters in place of or in
addition
to the ones listed above.
Bits 9-11 are used as input to faucet monitoring device 106 from sensor 108.
Bit 9 is used as a badge presence indicator. In one embodiment, bit 9 provides
a "1"
value when a identification signal 109 is detected by sensor 108. In another
embodiment, bit 9 provides a "0" value when sensor 108 is receiving an
identification
signal 109 from a contaminated caregiver 110 and a "1" value when sensor 108
is
receiving an identification signal 109 from a non-contaminated caregiver 110
or no
identification signal is being received. Bit 10 is used to communicate whether
sensor
108 is functioning properly and if sensor 108 is able to communicate with
master
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station 129. Bit 11 is used to send a message to faucet monitoring device 106
to start
a self test procedure. In one embodiment, faucet monitoring device begins
monitoring
for compliance only when the presence of hands 107 are detected and bit 9 from
sensor 108 indicates that a identification signal has been detected.
When a caregiver 110 is positioned in front of sink 102, sensor 108 detects
identification signal 109 transmitted by badge 112 as shown diagrammatically
in Fig.
2. Sensor 108 is mounted above sink 102 and includes an lR receiver connected
to
the hygiene monitoring system 100. The received identification signal is
forwarded
onto master station 129 and recorded. It is within the scope of the present
invention
as presently perceived to use a RF, ultrasonic or other suitable system for
detecting the
presence of a caregiver in contamination zones, patient rooms, or by sink 102.
Alternative devices can be used for sensor 108 such as a radio receiver if
badge 112
transmitted a radio signal instead of an infrared signal.
Sensor 108 combines the compliance signal from faucet monitoring device
106, bits 1-8, and the received identification signal 109. The combined signal
or
packet is transmitted to or made available to or detected by master station
129. In a
preferred embodiment, sensor 108 includes a radio frequency transmitter to
transmit a
radio frequency transmission to master station 129. In one embodiment the
combined
signal or packet consists of 35 bits. Bits 1 and 2 are start bits. Bits 3-10
are a portion
of identification signal 109, the LO Byte of the caregiver )D. Bit 11 is a
parity bit for
use as an error check for bits 3-10. Bits 12-19 are a portion of
identification signal
109, the HI Byte of the caregiver ID. Bit 20 is a parity bit for use as an
error check of
bits 12-19. Bits 21-28 are the eight bits sent to sensor 108 from faucet
monitoring
device 106. Bit 29 is a parity bit for use as an error check for bits 21-28.
Bits 30-33
are extra bits for expansion use, such as to communicate the status of various
pieces
of equipment, lights, IV pumps, etc. Bit 34 is a parity bit for use as an
error check for
bits 30-33. Bit 35 is a stop bit.
Besides sinks 102, the handwashing devices 101 as depicted in Fig. 5 may also
be implemented with automatic alcohol dispenser 210, dispensers 250, or other
monitored devices with which a person may successfully wash her hands in
accord
with a hygiene policy. In some environments, it is permissible for caregiver
110 to
cleanse hands 107 with an alcohol towelette dispensed by alcohol dispenser
210, as
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opposed to washing her hands in front of a sink with soap and water.
Therefore, in
one embodiment of the hygiene monitoring system 100, the hygiene monitoring
system 100 further tracks whether persons wash their hands with an alcohol
towelette
that is dispensed from the automated alcohol dispenser 210 and updates
compliancy
information based upon such determinations. To this end, the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 utilizes a sensor such as sensor 108C proximate with the alcohol
dispenser
210 to determine whether the person has washed her hands via the alcohol
dispenser
210.
In some environments, it is also permissible for caregiver 110 to cleanse
hands
107 with a waterless hand sanitizes such as an alcohol based gel dispensed
from
dispenser 250. An exemplary dispenser 250 is the "Bag-in-a-Box Dispenser"
which
receives a bladder filled with hand sanitizes. Dispenser 250 further includes
a sensor
108 to detect identification signal 109 transmitted by badge 112. Sensor 108
either
detects signal 109 and then waits to sense a dispensing of hand sanitizes or
is activated
upon the detection of hand sanitizes being dispensed from dispenser 250.
Therefore,
in one embodiment of the hygiene monitoring system 100, the hygiene monitoring
system 100 further tracks whether persons wash their hands with hand sanitizes
dispensed from dispenser 250 and updates compliancy information based upon
such
determinations.
In a further embodiment, the dispenser 250 is implemented as a portable
dispenser, similar to a pump bottle or squeeze bottle, which is carried by
caregiver
110. Portable dispenser 250 includes a sensor to detect when sanitizes is
dispensed
from dispenser 250. An example sensor would be a sensor to detect the movement
of
the stem of a hand pump on a pump bottle or the movement of sanitizes through
an
orifice. The use of portable dispenser 250, which is small enough to fit in
the
caregiver's coat or pocket, provides caregiver 110 with easy access to hand
sanitizes
and does not require additional hardware such as sensors and dispensers to be
mounted on the wall in various locations throughout the hospital.
Portable dispenser 250 either includes a transmitter such as equipment badge
113 or a combination transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment wherein only
a
transmitter is used, portable dispenser 250 is assigned to caregiver 110 such
that the
equipment badge 113 of the dispenser 250 either transmits an identification
signal
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which is identical to or incorporates a portion of caregiver identification
signal 109 or
an identification signal which is associated with caregiver 110 in a database
at master
station 129. In another embodiment wherein both a transmitter and a receiver
or a
transceiver is associated with portable dispenser 250, portable dispenser 250
receives
identification signal 109 from caregiver badge 112. Portable dispenser 250
then
forwards a signal such as the caregiver identification signal plus a
compliance signal
onto master station 129 either directly or through sensor 118.
Alert indicators 116 generally provide caregivers with feedback concerning
their current contamination status and/or infraction status. In one
embodiment, visual
alert indicators 116 are included in the proximity of sinks 102, such as on
faucet 104.
The visual alert indicators 116 are capable of providing textual messages
either
continuously or at defined intervals and potentially other visual cues such as
blinking
diodes. The visual alert indicators 116 may provide feedback to caregiver 110
on
whether a successful handwashing has been accomplished or not. The visual
alert
indicators 116 may also provide messages such as "HANDWASHING
CONFIRMED" or "SUCCESSFUL" for a properly completed handwashing event.
The visual alert indicators 116 may also provide messages such as "WARNING
HANDWASHING FAILED" or "FAILED" when caregiver 110 has not completed a
successful handwashing. An unsuccessful handwashing would occur for example
when caregiver 110 uses water but not soap. Further, the visual alert
indicators 116
also provides information about the maintenance state of the faucet, sink or
other
devices. Example messages include "SINK READY FOR USE", "SELF-TEST IN
PROGRESS", "WARNING! SOAP CONTAINER LOW", "WARNING! CHANGE
SOAP CASSETTE", "WARNING! CHANGE SOAP PATH", or "WARNING!
TOWEL CONTAINER LOW."
The alert indicators 116 may also be placed in various locations in the
patient
rooms such as on bed 122, on the wall of the patient's room, or incorporated
into an
overhead lighting fixture 114 as shown in Fig. 3. Such alert indicators 116
may be
implemented to either remind caregiver 110 to wash hands 107 or to indicate
that a
handwashing compliance signal has been recorded. The timing for each type of
indication is explained below in more detail with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig.
8. For
example, such an alert indicator 116 may include a set number of lights or a
single
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light which are covered by a colored semi-transparent shield. Various
indications are
given based on which lights in the set of lights are turned on and which
lights in the
set of lights are turned off or whether any of the lights in the set of lights
are flashing.
In one embodiment, the light shield contains a graphic message such as
"handwash
verified" as shown in Fig. 3.
In embodiments where alert indicators 116 are located throughout a facility,
the master station 129 may cause a signal to be directed to an alert indicator
that is in
close proximity to the caregiver 110. For example, the master station 129 may
provide a handwash signal to an alert indicator 116 in the same room as the
caregiver
110 when a handwash condition exists for the caregiver 110. In such an
embodiment,
the alert indicators 116 may be either "wirelessly connected" or "hard-wired"
to the
master station 129. Moreover, the alert indicator 116 in such embodiments
could be
implemented as a bank of lights including a light corresponding to each person
monitored, or it may be implemented with remote units such as, for example,
banks of
lights or speakers that have been mounted in various locations in the
facility.
Alert indicators 116 may also be implemented in a portable manner. For
example, alert indicators 116 may be incorporated into badges 112 or carried
by
caregiver 110 as a separate unit, such as a pager-type unit. Such alert
indicators 116
would include a sensor to receive handwash signal 184 provided by the hygiene
monitoring system 100. In one embodiment, the portable alert indicators 116
include
a radio frequency receiver to receive a signal from master station 129, sensor
108 or
other sensors such as sensor 118. The received signal includes the caregiver
>D to
distinguish between different caregivers 110 and an infraction level code to
communicate the status of the caregiver 110, either in compliance with the
handwashing standards or out of compliance with the handwashing standards.
The alert indicators 116 may be implemented to vary output based upon the
number of non-compliance data 140 which is recorded by system 100 for
caregiver
110. In one embodiment, lights are included on badge 112, such as light
emitting
diodes. When caregiver 110 is complying with handwashing regulations the
lights on
badge 112 are off. When caregiver 110 enters a contamination zone the lights
or at
least one of the lights blinks yellow to indicate that caregiver 110 has
entered a
contamination zone. If caregiver 110 violates the handwashing standards, i.e.
a non-
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compliance signal 140 is generated, the lights or at least one of the lights
slowly
blinks red. If caregiver 110 does not wash hands 107 at this point and
violates the
handwashing standards a second time the lights or at least one of the lights
blinks red
at a faster rate. If caregiver 110 commits a third consecutive infraction of
the
handwashing standards then the lights or at least one of the lights blinks red
very fast.
If the caregiver 110 commits a fourth consecutive infraction of the
handwashing
standards then the lights or at least one of the lights remains on and an
alarm is
sounded by an audible or tactile indicator on badge 112.
It is within the scope of the invention as presently perceived to implement
alert
indicators 116 to include visual, audible and/or tactile indicators which
respectively
produce visual signals, audible signals, and tactile signals. An example of an
visual
indicator is a LED, an example of an audible indicator is a speaker, and an
example of
a tactile indicator is a vibration device similar to a pager vibration device.
Multi-Zonal Patient Rooms
In Fig. 5 is shown an example of patient room 230 having generally five
different zones. An entry zone 220, a clinical zone 222, a patient zone 224, a
family
zone 226 and a hygiene zone 228. All of these zones except for the family zone
226
has a sensor 118 associated therewith. As shown in Fig. 5, caregiver 110
enters
patient room 230 through the entry zone 220. As the caregiver enters the entry
zone
220, the identification signal 109 broadcasted by caregiver badge 112 is
detected by
sensor 118A. If caregiver 110 proceeds to the patient zone 224, then the
signal
broadcasted by the caregiver badge 112 is detected by sensor 118C. Patient
zone 224
is a critical contamination zone. Therefore, the hygiene monitoring system 100
initiates the first handwashing monitoring logic depicted in Fig. 6. Also
shown in Fig.
5 are various handwashing devices 101 such as two sinks 102A and 102B each
containing a sensor 108A and 108B, respectively, an automated alcohol
dispenser
210, and a dispenser 250 of hand sanitizer.
In one embodiment, patient room 230 further includes a sensor 254. Unlike
sensors 118A-118D which generally receive signals 109 when caregiver 112 is
within
the corresponding zone 220, 222, 224 and 228, sensor 254 generally receives
signal
109 when caregiver 112 is present in patient room 230 independent of whether
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caregiver 112 is within one of the zones 220, 222, 224 and 228 or elsewhere in
patient
room 230. As such, sensor 254 is a low resolution aspect of the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 while sensors 118A-118D are a high resolution aspect of the hygiene
monitoring system 100. Sensor 254 is designed to be compatible with badge 112.
Therefore, if badge 112 emits only an IR signal 109 then sensor 254 should be
designed to receive an IR signal 109. Alternatively, if badge 112 emits both
an IR
signal 109 and a RF signal 109 then sensor 254 should be designed to receive
either
IR signal 109, RF signal 109 or a combination of IR signal 109 and RF signal
109.
First Handwashing Logic
A flowchart is depict in Fig. 6 which illustrates first handwashing logic
implemented by the hygiene monitoring system 100. In the exemplary embodiment,
the master station 129 includes software which when executed by the master
station
129 causes the hygiene monitoring system 100 to implement the first exemplary
handwashing logic as depicted in Fig. 6. However, while the exemplary
embodiment
of the hygiene monitoring system 100 implements the handwashing logic of Fig.
6
with software executed by the master station 129, the handwashing logic of
Fig. 6 may
alternatively be implemented with hardware incorporated in a central device
such as
the master station 129 or distributed amongst the other components of the
hygiene
monitoring system 100. Furthermore, the software can be implemented as a stand
alone program or can be integrated into the software of an existing system for
locating and tracking persons in a facility.
In an exemplary embodiment, the hygiene monitoring system 100 invokes
execution of the first handwashing logic as represented by block 130 every
time a
caregiver identification signal 109 is detected in a nurse or patient contact
zone, such
as a patient room or nurse station. The presence of caregiver 110 in such a
zone is
determined by the hygiene monitoring system 100 upon the detection of
identification
signal 109. The hygiene monitoring system 100 determines, based on the
previous
recorded locations of caregiver 110, if caregiver 110 has complied with
handwashing
standards. Therefore, the hygiene monitoring system 100 monitors for
compliance
based upon the occurrences of specific events. The hygiene monitoring system
100
also evaluates the time elapsed between handwashings to determine if a preset
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maximum time has been exceeded. Therefore, the hygiene monitoring system 100
further monitors for compliance based upon frequency of handwashings.
Once execution of the first handwashing logic is initiated, the hygiene
monitoring system 100 evaluates the previous location of caregiver 110 as
indicated
by block 132. The current and previous locations of caregiver 110 are
determined and
stored by the hygiene monitoring system 100 during the cause of operation. The
elapsed time since the last recorded compliance data record is determined by
the
hygiene monitoring system 100, as indicated by block 133. The hygiene
monitoring
system 100 next determines, as indicated by block 134, if a handwashing
compliance
signal has been received in conjunction with the previous location of
caregiver 110.
A handwashing compliance signal is generated by faucet monitoring device 106
or
other handwashing device when caregiver 110 washes hands 107 and is
transmitted to
or detected by master station 129. If a handwashing compliance signal has been
received, the compliance data is recorded, as indicated by block 136. If a
handwashing compliance signal was not recorded, the hygiene monitoring system
100'
moves to block 138 which determines whether the previous location of caregiver
110
was a contamination zone.
A contamination zone is any area designated by the hospital where after
caregivers have entered they must wash her hands. Typically, a contamination
zone is
an area in which caregiver 110 is susceptible to contact with infectious
agents.
Examples are a patient room, a bath room, a waste station or a nurse station.
If the
previous location of caregiver 110 was a designated contamination zone a
handwashing non-compliance data is recorded as indicated by block 140. The non-
compliance data is recorded because caregiver 110 has left a contamination
zone and
entered a nurse or patient contact zone without washing hands 107, thereby
putting
patients and colleagues at risk of infection.
If the previous location of caregiver 110 was not a contamination zone at
block 138, the hygiene monitoring system 100 continues to block 139 and
determines
if the maximum time permitted between handwashings has been exceeded. If the
maximum time has been exceeded, then a handwashing non-compliance record is
recorded by block 140. If the previous location of caregiver 110 was not a
contamination zone and the maximum time permitted between handwashings has not
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been exceeded, the hygiene monitoring system 100 returns to block 132 and
evaluates
the twice previous location of caregiver 110. If a handwashing compliance was
not
indicated for the twice previous location nor was the twice previous location
a
contamination zone, the hygiene monitoring system 100 returns to block 132 and
evaluates the thrice previous location of caregiver 110, assuming that the
maximum
time permitted between handwashings has not been exceeded. The hygiene
monitoring system 100 continues until either a handwashing compliance record
is
recorded by block 136 or a handwashing non-compliance record is recorded by
block
140.
If a non-compliance data record is recorded by block 140, the hygiene
monitoring system 100 generates a handwash alarm signal as represented by
block
182. The hygiene monitoring system 100 then sends the handwash alarm signal to
an
alert indicator 116 of caregiver 110. The sensor on the alert indicator 116
receives the
alarm signal represented by block 184, and the alert indicator 116 provides
the
caregiver 110 with an alert signal, represented by block 186. Example alert
signals
include visual signals, audible signals, tactile signals or combinations
thereof.
Referring now to Fig. 7, there is depicted a hospital ward 142 and a sample
path 144 taken by caregiver 110 through the hospital ward 142. The location of
caregiver 110 is detected by sensor 118a-118d when caregiver 110 is next to
patient
bed 150a-150d, respectively. The location of caregiver 110 is detected by
sensor
108a-108e when caregiver 110 is near sinks 102a-102e, respectively. At other
locations in hospital ward 142, the location of caregiver 110 is detected by
sensors
118e-118o.
Caregiver 110 starts at nurse station 146 as indicated by position (A).
Caregiver 110 next leaves nurse station 146 and enters a patient room 148a and
approaches the patient bed 150a, as indicated by position (B) . Caregiver's
badge
transmits a signal which is detected by sensor 118a and read by master station
129
indicating that the caregiver is by position (B), thereby initiating the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 to begin execution of the handwashing monitoring logic
because caregiver 110 has entered a nurse or patient contact zone, near
patient bed
150a. The previous position (A) of caregiver 110 does not have a handwashing
compliance signal recorded and position (A) is a contamination zone.
Therefore, a
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non-compliance data record is recorded at block 140.
Caregiver 110 next leaves position (B) without washing hands 107 at sink
102a and enters a second nurse or patient contact zone, patient room 148b next
to
patient bed 150b, as indicated by position (D). Once again, the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 initiates execution of the first handwashing logic because
caregiver 110
has entered a nurse or patient contact zone, near patient bed 150b. The
previous
position (C) of caregiver 110 does not have a handwashing compliance signal
recorded. However, position (C), a hallway, is not a contamination zone. After
determining that the maximum time permitted between handwashings has not been
exceeded, the twice previous caregiver location, position (B) in patient room
148a
near bed 150a is evaluated. Position (B) does not have a handwashing
compliance
signal recorded. However position (B) is a contamination zone. Therefore, a
non-
compliance data record is recorded at block 140.
Caregiver 110 next enters bathroom 154b, at position (E) and then washes
hands 107 at sink 102b, position (F). Therefore, a handwashing compliance
signal is
generated by faucet monitoring device 106b.
Caregiver 110 next enters a third nurse or patient contact zone at position
(H),
patient room 148c. Once again, the hygiene monitoring system 100 initiates
execution of the first handwashing logic because caregiver 110 has entered a
nurse or
patient contact zone. The previous position (G) of caregiver 110 does not have
a
handwashing compliance signal recorded. However, position (G), a hallway, is
not a
contamination zone. After determining that the maximum time permitted between
handwashings has not been exceeded, the twice previous caregiver location,
position
(F) in patient room 148b near sink 102b is therefore evaluated. Position (F)
does have
a handwashing compliance signal recorded. Therefore, a compliance data record
is
recorded at block 136.
Caregiver 110 continues on to position (J), a waste station 158, which is a
contamination zone. Next, caregiver 110 washes hands at position (K), sink
102e.
Therefore, a handwashing compliance signal is generated by faucet monitoring
device
106e. The fact that caregiver 110 did not wash hands 107 between locations (H)
and
(J) is acceptable, as long as the maximum time permitted between handwashings
has
not been exceeded, because caregiver 110 did not enter a nurse or patient
contact zone
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between locations (H) and (J).
Caregiver 110 continues on to position (M) a fourth nurse or patient contact
zone, patient room 148d next to patient bed 150d. Once again, the software is
initiated by central processing unit 126 and begins its handwashing monitoring
logic.
The previous position (L) of caregiver 110 does not have a handwashing
compliance
signal recorded. However, position (L), the hallway, is not a contamination
zone.
After determining that the maximum time permitted between handwashings has not
been exceeded, the twice previous caregiver location, position (K) near sink
102e is
evaluated. Position (K) does have a handwashing compliance signal recorded.
Therefore, a compliance data record is recorded at block 136.
Caregiver 110 continues on to nurse station 146, position (P). Since caregiver
110 is in a nurse contact zone at position (P), the hygiene monitoring system
100
initiates execution of the first handwashing logic. The previous position (O)
of
caregiver 110 does not have a handwashing compliance signal recorded. However,
position (O), a hallway, is not a contamination zone. After determining that
the
maximum time permitted between handwashings has not been exceeded, the twice
previous caregiver location, position (N) in patient room 148d near bed 150d
is
evaluated. Position (N) does not have a handwashing compliance signal
recorded.
However position (N) is a contamination zone. Therefore, a non-compliance data
record is recorded at block 140.
Caregiver 110 achieved a forty percent compliance rating, washed hands 107
two out of five required times, for path 144, as shown in Fig. 7. Compliance
report
128 provides the compliance rating of caregiver 110 and provide information
such as
the time each compliance record was recorded, the time each non-compliance
record
was recorded, and the locations of each, see Fig. 13B.
The above handwashing monitoring logic may further utilize a delay timer to
prevent a brief encounter with a patient contact zone to require a caregiver
to wash her
hands. For example, upon detecting the identification signal 109 from
caregiver
badge 112 within a patient zone, the hygiene monitoring system 100 will delay
a
preset amount of time before starting the handwashing monitoring logic, such
as 15
seconds. If the identification signal 109 is still detected in the patient
contact zone
after the present amount of time has expired, then the handwashing monitoring
logic
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begins. Therefore, a caregiver simply dropping off a lunch tray will probably
not
invoke the handwashing monitoring logic, while a caregiver who is interacting
with a
patient probably will invoke the handwashing monitoring logic.
Second Handwashing-Logic
Referring now to Fig. 8, there is illustrated a flowchart of second exemplary
handwashing logic which may be implemented by the hygiene monitoring system
100.
The second exemplary handwashing logic of Fig. 8 is essentially an alternative
to the
first exemplary handwashing logic of Fig. 6. In the exemplary embodiment, the
master station 129 includes software which when executed by the master station
129
causes the hygiene monitoring system 100 to implement the second exemplary
handwashing logic as depicted in Fig. 8. However, while the exemplary
embodiment
of the hygiene monitoring system 100 implements the handwashing logic of Fig.
8
with software executed by the master station 129, the handwashing logic of
Fig. 8 may
alternatively be implemented with hardware incorporated in a central device
such as
the master station 129 or distributed amongst the other components of the
hygiene
monitoring system 100. Furthermore, the software can be implemented as a stand
alone program or can be integrated into the software of an existing system for
locating
and tracking persons in a facility.
In general, the master station 129 in accord with the alternative handwashing
logic of Fig. 8 determines whether various events have occurred based upon
information (e.g. caregiver location, handwashing information) received from
the
various sensors of the hygiene monitoring system 100. Events are points in
time at
which some change in status may take place. Typically, events are caused by
movement of persons into or out of a zone, or the expiration of a time limit
for a
person in a given zone, or by other mechanisms. In an exemplary embodiment,
the
master station 129 determines that a caregiver 110 has moved between two zones
when the badge 112 worn by the caregiver 110 is detected in the first zone,
the badge
112 is later detected in the second zone, and the badge 112 ceases to be
detected in the
first zone.
In an exemplary embodiment, the master station 129 determines that a
controlled Handwash Event has occurred when a caregiver 110 wearing a badge
112
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has successfully completed a handwashing at a monitored handwashing device
such as
sink 102. (See, steps 320, 328, and 332). Moreover, the master station 129
further
updates a Contamination Status associated with the caregiver 110 to indicate
that the
caregiver 110 is "Not Contaminated" whenever the caregiver 110 wearing a badge
112 has completed a successful handwashing, updates and Infraction Status
associated
with the caregiver 110 to indicates that the caregiver 110 is "Compliant", and
if the
caregiver was contaminated prior to the controlled Handwashing Event updates
the
compliance rating for the caregiver. For example, a successful handwashing
occurs
when the badge 112 worn by the caregiver 110 is detected by a sensor 108
associated
with sink 102 for a duration greater than or equal to a preset amount for a
successful
handwashing. It is within the scope of the invention to require additional
parameters
to be satisfied for a handwashing to be successful, such as soap was
dispensed, drying
unit or towel was detected.
The master station 129 of the exemplary embodiment also determines that an
Exposure Event has occurred when a caregiver 110 wearing a badge 112 has been
in a
contamination zone for longer than a Exposure Time associated with that
contamination zone. The Exposure Time is the amount of time for a particular
contamination zone, that a caregiver 110 can remain in a particular
contamination
zone without causing an Exposure Event. (See, 314 and 316). However, the
master
station 129 may also determine that an Exposure Event has occurred when the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 has not detected a caregiver 110 wearing a badge 112 for
more
than an hour or some other preset amount of time. (See, steps 300 and 304).
Further,
the master station 129 may also determine that an Exposure Event has occurred
when
the master station 129 determines that more than thirty minutes or some other
preset
amount of time has past since a controlled Handwashing Event has been
associated
with the caregiver 110 (i.e. the caregiver 110 has not successfully washed her
hands
for more than some preset amount of time). (See, steps 302 and 304).
In the exemplary embodiment, the Exposure Time is independently defined for
each contamination zone of the facility and is typically defined at a constant
value for
a particular contamination zone. However, the Exposure Time for a particular
contamination zone may alternatively be defined based upon a particular
caregiver or
class of caregivers. For example, the Exposure Time for a particular
contamination
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zone may be defined to cause an Exposure Event for a first caregiver if the
first
caregiver remains in the contamination zone for ten seconds and cause an
Exposure
Event for the second caregiver only if the second caregiver remains in the
contamination zone for at least twenty seconds. Moreover, when determining how
long a particular caregiver 110 has been exposed to a particular contamination
zone,
the master station 129 of the exemplary embodiment considers a caregiver 110
to have
been continuously exposed to the contamination zone if the badge 112 worn by
the
caregiver 110 is continuously detected in the same contamination zone,
regardless of
whether the same badge 112 is detected in other zones as well.
The Exit Time is a preset amount of time associated with a particular
contamination zone which defines an amount of time that a caregiver 110 has to
exit
the particular contamination zone following a controlled Handwashing Event
without
being re-contaminated by the contamination zone. In general, the Exit Time
extends
the length of time after a controlled Handwashing Event that a caregiver 110
may
remain in the contamination zone without being re-contaminated by the
contamination
zone. In other words, the master station 129 of the exemplary embodiment
determines that an Exposure Event has occurred for a caregiver 110 wearing a
badge
112 when the caregiver 110 performs a successful handwashing at a monitored
handwashing device within a contamination zone and the caregiver 110 remains
in the
contamination zone for the duration of the greater between the Exposure Time
and the
Exit Time. (See, steps 318, 320, 322, and 316). In a high risk contamination
zone
(e.g. isolation room, waste utility room, public restroom) having an Exposure
Time of
zero associated therewith, the Exit Time permits a caregiver 110 to perform a
successful handwashing within the high risk contamination zone and exit the
high risk
contamination zone within the Exit Time without causing an Exposure Event
despite
the fact that the Exposure Time had been exceeded.
Similar to the Exposure Time, the exemplary embodiment defines the Exit
Time independently for each contamination zone of the facility and typically
defines
the Exit Time at a constant value for a particular contamination zone.
However, the
Exit Time for a particular contamination zone may alternatively be defined
based
upon a particular caregiver or class of caregivers. For example, the Exit Time
for a
particular contamination zone may be defined such that the master station 129
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determines that an Exposure Event has occurred for a first caregiver of a
first class of
caregivers (e.g. nurses) if the first caregiver does not exit the
contamination zone
within ten seconds of the controlled Handwashing Event and determines an
Exposure
Event has occurred for a second caregiver of a second class of caregivers
(e.g.
physicians) only if the second caregiver does not exit the contamination zone
within
twenty seconds of the controlled Handwashing Event.
In an exemplary embodiment, the master station 129 determines that an
Infraction Event has occurred when a caregiver 110 has committed a violation
of the
handwashing standards. In the exemplary embodiment, the master station 129
determines whether an Infraction Event has occurred based upon information
(e.g.
caregiver location, handwashing information) received from the various sensors
of the
hygiene monitoring system 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the master station
129
utilizes the following rules to determine whether an Infraction Event has
occurred.
1) An Infraction Event occurs each time a caregiver 110 exits a contamination
zone while "Contaminated", and then does not successfully wash her hands
within a
Trigger Time of exiting the contamination zone.
2) An Infraction Event occurs each time a caregiver 110 while
"Contaminated" enters a contamination zone, and then does not successfully
wash her
hands within a Entry Time of entering the contamination zone.
The exemplary embodiment defines the Trigger Time as the time for a
particular contamination zone that a contaminated caregiver 110 may leave that
particular contamination zone without successfully washing the hands at a
monitored
handwashing device (i.e. cause a controlled Handwashing Event) and not
generate an
Infraction Event. The exemplary embodiment further defines the Entry Time as
the
time for a particular contamination zone that a contaminated caregiver 110 may
remain in that particular contamination zone without successfully washing her
hands
at a monitored handwashing device (i.e. cause a controlled Handwashing Event)
and
not generate an Infraction Event. Similar to the Exposure Time, the Trigger
Time and
the Entry Time of the exemplary embodiment are independently defined for each
contamination zone of the facility and are typically defined at a constant
value for a
particular contamination zone. The Trigger Time and Entry Time, however, may
alternatively be defined based upon a particular caregiver or class of
caregivers. For
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example, the Trigger Time for a particular contamination zone may be defined
such
that the master station 129 determines that an Infraction Event has occurred
for a first
caregiver if the first caregiver does not successfully wash her hands (i.e.
generate a
controlled Handwashing Event) within ten seconds of exiting the contamination
zone
and cause an Infraction Event for a second caregiver only if the second
caregiver does
not successfully wash her hands (i.e. generate a controlled Handwashing Event)
within twenty seconds of exiting the contamination zone.
The following scenario of events is provided in order to provide further
insight
into how the second handwashing logic of Fig. 8 may be utilized. For example,
in
response to a caregiver entering the facility for the first time as a new
shift begins, the
exemplary hygiene monitoring system 100 would likely determine that either a
preset
period of time has past since the caregiver was last detected (step 300) or
would
determine that a preset period of time has past since the last successful
handwashing
was detected (step 302) and thus process an Exposure Event (step 304). The
hygiene
monitoring system 100 in processing the Exposure Event generally updates
information associated with the caregiver by storing the identification code
(i.e. >D) of
the caregiver received from the caregiver's badge 112, storing the time the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 detected the Exposure Event, and updating the
contamination
status for the caregiver to "Contaminated". Moreover, the hygiene monitoring
system
100 in processing the Exposure Event provides the caregiver with an indication
of the
contamination status associated with the caregiver by, for example, causing
the badge
112 to blink yellow.
In response to the badge 112 indicating that the caregiver is contaminated,
the
caregiver may then stop at a sink 102 located in a non-contamination zone and
successfully wash her hands, thus causing a controlled Handwashing Event.
Accordingly, the hygiene monitoring system 100 detects the controlled
Handwashing
Event in the non-contamination zone (step 330) and process the controlled
Handwashing Event (step 332). In particular, the hygiene monitoring system 100
in
processing the controlled Handwashing Event updates information associated
with the
caregiver by recording the ID of the caregiver, recording the time the hygiene
monitoring system 100 detected the controlled Handwashing Event, recording the
)D
of the sink 102 at which the caregiver washed her hands, updating a
contamination
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status for the caregiver to "Not Contaminated", updating an infraction status
for the
caregiver to "Compliant", and if the caregiver was contaminated prior to the
controlled Handwashing Event updating the compliance rating for the caregiver.
By
only updating the compliance rating if the caregiver was contaminated, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 prevents caregivers from artificially inflating their
compliance
rating by performing unnecessary handwashings. Moreover, the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 in processing the controlled Handwashing Event further provides the
caregiver with an indication of her status by, for example, causing the badge
112 to
stop blinking, causing the sink 102 to display a "Handwashing Confirmed"
message,
and causing the sink 102 to display the >D and current compliance rating for
the
caregiver.
The caregiver after successfully washing her hands may enter patient room A
and remain in patient room A for a period of time greater than the Exposure
Time
associated with patient room A, thus causing an Exposure Event. Accordingly,
the
hygiene monitoring system 100 detects the Exposure Event (step 314) and
processes
the Exposure Event (step 316). The hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing
the
Exposure Event generally updates information associated with the caregiver by
storing
the >D of the caregiver, storing the time the hygiene monitoring system 100
detected
the Exposure Event, storing the location at which contamination occurred, and
updating the contamination status associated with the caregiver to
"Contaminated".
Moreover, the hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing the Exposure Event
provides the caregiver with an indication that her status is "Contaminated"
by, for
example, causing the badge 112 to blink yellow.
The caregiver may then leave patient room A enter a hallway and travel down
the hallway for a period of time that is greater than the Trigger Limit for
patient room
A, thus causing an Infraction Event. The hygiene monitoring system 100 detects
the
Infraction Event (step 324) and processes the Infraction Event (326). The
hygiene
monitoring system 100 in processing the Infraction Event generally updates
information associated with the caregiver by storing the ID of the caregiver,
storing
the time the hygiene monitoring system 100 detected the Infraction Event,
updating
the infraction status of the caregiver to "Infraction Level 1", storing
information about
the Infraction Event (e.g. did not wash hands within Trigger Time of leaving
patient
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room A), and updating the compliance rating of the caregiver. Further, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 provides the caregiver with an indication that her
status is
"Infraction Level 1" by, for example, causing the badge 112 to slowly blink
red.
The caregiver may then enter patient room B and remain in patient room B for
a period of time greater than the Entry Limit associated with patient room B
without
successfully washing her hands, thus causing another Infraction Event. The
hygiene
monitoring system 100 detects that the caregiver was in a contamination zone
(step
306), detects that the caregiver was contaminated (step 308), detects the
Infraction
Event (step 310) and processes the Infraction Event (step 312). The hygiene
monitoring system 100 in processing the Infraction Event generally updates
information associated with the caregiver by storing the >D of the caregiver,
storing
the time the hygiene monitoring system 100 detected the Infraction Event,
updating
the infraction status of the caregiver to "Infraction Level 2", storing
information about
the Infraction Event (e.g. did not wash hands within Entry Time of entering
patient
room B), and updating the compliance rating of the caregiver. Further, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 provides the caregiver with an indication that her
status is
"Infraction Level 2" by, for example, causing the badge 112 to increase its
rate of
blinking red.
The caregiver may remain in patient room B for a period of time greater than
the Exposure Time associated with patient room B, thus causing an Exposure
Event.
Accordingly, the hygiene monitoring system 100 detects the Exposure Event
(step
314) and processes the Exposure Event (step 316). The hygiene monitoring
system
100 in processing the Exposure Event generally updates information associated
with
the caregiver by storing the LD of the caregiver, storing the time the hygiene
monitoring system 100 detected the Exposure Event and storing the location at
which
contamination occurred. Since the caregiver's contamination status is already
"Contaminated" the hygiene monitoring system 100 need not update the
contamination status to "Contaminated". Moreover, the hygiene monitoring
system
100 in processing the Exposure Event continues to provide the caregiver with
an
indication that her status is "Infraction Level 2" by, for example, continuing
to cause
the badge 112 to blink red at the increase rate.
The caregiver may then leave patient room B enter a hallway and travel down
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the hallway for a period of time that is greater than the Trigger Time for
patient room
B, thus causing another Infraction Event. The hygiene monitoring system 100
detects
the Infraction Event (step 324) and process the Infraction Event (326). The
hygiene
monitoring system 100 in processing the Infraction Event generally updates
S information associated with the caregiver by storing the >17 of the
caregiver, storing
the time the hygiene monitoring system 100 detected the Infraction Event,
updating
the infraction status of the caregiver to "Infraction Level 3", storing
information about
the Infraction Event (e.g. did not wash hands within Trigger Time of leaving
patient
room B), and updating the compliance rating of the caregiver. Further, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 provides the caregiver with an indication that her
status is
"Infraction Level 3" by, for example, causing the badge 112 to blink red at an
even
faster rate than is associated with "Infraction Level 2".
The caregiver may then enter patient room C and remain in patient room C for
a period of time greater than the Entry Time associated with patient room C
without
successfully washing her hands, thus causing another Infraction Event. The
hygiene
monitoring system 100 detects the Infraction Event (step 310) and processes
the
Infraction Event (312). The hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing the
Infraction Event generally updates information associated with the caregiver
by
storing the >D of the caregiver, storing the time the hygiene monitoring
system 100
detected the Infraction Event, updating the infraction status of the caregiver
to
"Infraction Level 4", storing information about the Infraction Event (e.g. did
not wash
hands within Entry Time of entering patient room C), and updating the
compliance
rating of the caregiver. Further, the hygiene monitoring system 100 provides
the
caregiver with an indication that her status is "Infraction Level 4" by, for
example,
causing the badge 112 to be continuously lit red, and causing an audible alarm
to be
activated whenever the caregiver is in proximity of a handwashing device 101.
In response to noticing the audible alarm and the badge 112 indicating
"Infraction Level 4", the caregiver may then stop at a sink 102 located in the
patient
room C, successfully wash her hands and exit patient room C before the Exit
Time
has expired, thus causing a controlled Handwashing Event. Accordingly, the
hygiene
monitoring system 100 detects the controlled Handwashing Event in patient room
C
(steps 318), processes the controlled Handwashing Event (step 320), and
determines
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that the caregiver exited the patient room C before being recontaminated (step
322).
In particular, the hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing the controlled
Handwashing Event updates information associated with the caregiver by
recording
the >D of the caregiver, recording the time the hygiene monitoring system 100
detected the controlled Handwashing Event, recording the ID of the sink 102 at
which
the caregiver washed her hands, updating the contamination status for the
caregiver to
"Not Contaminated", updating the infraction status to "Compliant", and if the
caregiver was contaminated prior to the controlled Handwashing Event updating
the
compliance rating for the caregiver. Moreover, the hygiene monitoring system
100 in
processing the controlled Handwashing Event further provides the caregiver
with an
indication of her status by, for example, causing the badge 112 to no longer
light on
LED causing the sink 102 to display a "Handwashing Confirmed" message, and
causing the sink 102 to display the 117 and current compliance rating for the
caregiver.
The caregiver may then enter a high risk contamination zone (e.g. an isolation
room, waste utility room, public restroom) having an Exposure Time of zero,
thus
causing an Exposure Event. Accordingly, the hygiene monitoring system 100
detects
the Exposure Event (step 314) and process the Exposure Event (step 316). The
hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing the Exposure Event generally
updates
information associated with the caregiver by storing the >D of the caregiver,
storing
the time the hygiene monitoring system 100 detected the Exposure Event and
storing
the location at which contamination occurred, and updating the contamination
status
for the caregiver to "Contaminated". Moreover, the hygiene monitoring system
100 in
processing the Exposure Event continues to provide the caregiver with an
indication
that her status is "Contaminated" by, for example, causing the badge 112 to
blink
yellow.
The caregiver may then exit the high risk contamination zone, re-enter patient
room A, and successfully wash her hands before the expiration of the Trigger
Time
associated with the high risk contamination zone and before the expiration of
the
Entry Time associated with patient room A. Accordingly, the hygiene monitoring
system 100 detects the controlled Handwashing Event in patient room C (step
310 or
step 324) and processes the controlled Handwashing Event (step 312 or step
328). In
particular, the hygiene monitoring system 100 in processing the controlled
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Handwashing Event updates information associated with the caregiver by
recording
the >D of the caregiver, recording the time the hygiene monitoring system 100
detected the controlled Handwashing Event, recording the >D of the sink 102 at
which
the caregiver washed her hands, updating the contamination status for the
caregiver to
"Not Contaminated", updating the infraction status for the caregiver to
"Compliant",
and if the caregiver was contaminated prior to the controlled Handwashing
Event
updating the compliance rating for the caregiver. Moreover, the hygiene
monitoring
system 100 in processing the controlled Handwashing Event further provides the
caregiver with an indication of her status by, for example, causing the badge
112 to no
longer light an LED, causing the sink 102 to display a "Handwashing Confirmed"
message, and causing the sink 102 to display the >D and current compliance
rating for
the caregiver.
Equipment Monitoring
The use of equipment badges 113 and usage sensors 119 on equipment 115
generally allows the hygiene monitoring system 100 to more accurately pinpoint
when
an event has occurred with a piece of equipment 115 that requires a
handwashing. For
example, if the hygiene monitoring system 100 determines that (i) a caregiver
110 has
entered a patient zone, (ii) the caregiver has remained in the zone for a
given length
of time, and (iii) the IV pump has been activated during the given length of
time, then
the hygiene monitoring system 100 can deduce with a high degree of confidence
that
the caregiver has set an IV line, thus requiring the caregiver to wash her
hands before
entering the next contamination zone. Accordingly, the handwashing logic of
Fig. 6
and the handwashing logic of Fig. 7 may be further modified such that the
master
station 129 determines whether a caregiver 110 needs to wash her hands based
upon a
caregiver's likely usage of equipment 115.
Furthermore, the use of equipment badges 113 on equipment 115 enables the
hygiene monitoring system 100 to monitor compliancy with hygiene standards
defined
for the equipment 115. In particular, much of the support equipment 115 within
a
patient room is electronic and requires special handling when cleaning between
patient. The standard practice within most hospitals is that housekeeping is
not
allowed to clean these devices and the responsibility of such cleaning falls
upon the
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nurse. Since this support equipment 115 commonly comes into direct contact
with
very sick patients with potentially transferable diseases, such equipment 115
must be
decontaminated (or cleaned) before used with another patient.
Referring to Fig. 9, there is depicted a flowchart of exemplary equipment
decontamination logic utilized by the exemplary hygiene monitoring system 100.
In
general, the master station 129 executes the procedure depicted in Fig. 9
whenever
equipment 115 having an equipment badge 113 is moved from one location to
another
location or whenever a new patient is admitted to a patient room containing
monitored
equipment 115.
As illustrated in Fig. 9, the master station 129 in step 402 determines
whether
a piece of equipment 115 having an equipment badge 113 is in a new location.
The
master station 129 in the exemplary embodiment makes this determination by
processing location information for the equipment 115 which the master station
129
has received via the equipment badge 113 and the sensors 118 of the hygiene
monitoring system 100. If the location information for the equipment 115
indicates
that the current location of the equipment 115 is the same as the last
location for the
equipment 115 (e.g. the current location and the last location of the
equipment 115 are
the same patient room), then the master station 129 in step 402 determines
that the
equipment 115 is not in a new location and proceeds to step 404 in order to
determine
whether a new patient is with the equipment 115. However, if the location
information for the equipment 115 indicates that the current location of the
equipment
115 is not the same as the last location of the equipment 115 (e.g. the
current location
of equipment 115 is a first patient room and the last location of the
equipment 115
was a different patient room), then the master station 129 proceeds to step
406 in
order to determine whether a new patient is with the equipment 115.
In step 404, the master station 129 of the exemplary embodiment determines
whether a new patient is with the equipment 115 by comparing patient location
information received via badges 112 with equipment location information
received via
equipment badges 113. If the master station 129 determines based upon the
patient
location information and the equipment information that a new patient is with
the
equipment 115 (e.g. the equipment location information indicates the equipment
115
is in a first patient room and the patient location information indicates that
a patient
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who has not previously been detected in the first patient room in now in the
first
patient room), then the master station 129 determines that a new patient is
with the
equipment 115 and proceeds to step 410 to confirm whether the equipment 115
has
been cleaned. On the other hand, if the master station 129 determines based
upon the
patient location information and the equipment information that a new patient
is not
with the equipment 115 (e.g. the equipment location information indicates the
equipment 115 is in a first patient room and the patient location information
indicates
that the patient who is in the first patient has been previously detected in
the patient
room), then the master station 129 determines that a new patient is not with
the
equipment 115 and stops execution of the equipment decontamination logic until
the
next triggering event.
Similarly, the master station 129 of the exemplary embodiment in step 406
determines whether a new patient is with the equipment 115 by comparing
patient
location information received via badges 112 with equipment location
information
received via equipment badges 113. If the master station 129 determines based
upon
the patient location information and the equipment information that a new
patient is
with the equipment 115 (e.g. the equipment location information and the
patient
location information indicate that the equipment 115 and the patient have not
previously been in the same patient room at the same time), then the master
station
129 determines that a new patient is with the equipment 115 and proceeds to
step 410
to confirm whether the equipment 115 has been cleaned. On the other hand, if
the
master station 129 determines based upon the patient location information and
the
equipment information that a new patient is not with the equipment 115 (e.g.
the
equipment location information and the patient location information indicate
that the
equipment 115 and the patient have previously been in the same patient room at
the
same time), then the master station 129 determines that a new patient is not
with the
equipment 115 and proceeds to step 408.
In step 408, the master station 129 determines whether the equipment 115
needed to be cleaned due to exposure to a high risk contamination zone such as
an
isolation room or a waste utility room. To this end, the master station 129 of
the
exemplary embodiment determines that the equipment 115 needed to be cleaned
and
proceeds to step 410 if equipment location information for the equipment 115
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indicates that the previous location of the equipment 115 was a high risk
contamination zone. Otherwise, the master station 129 stops execution of the
equipment decontamination logic until the next triggering event.
The master station 129 in step 410 determines whether the equipment 115 has
been successfully cleaned since the equipment 115 was last used by another
patient or
was last exposed to a high risk contamination zone. To this end, the master
station
129 determines based upon caregiver and patient location information received
from
the badges 112, equipment location information received from the equipment
badges
113, and cleaning information received from the cleaning sensor 121 whether
the
equipment 115 has been successfully cleaned since last being contaminated. In
particular, the master station 129 determines when the equipment 115 was last
contaminated by the equipment's most recent exposure to either another patient
or a
high risk contamination zone by analyzing received equipment location
information
and patient location information. Further, the master station 129 determines
whether
the equipment 115 has been successfully cleaned since the equipment's last
exposure
to either another patient or a high risk contamination zone by analyzing
cleaning
information received from the associated cleaning sensor 121. In the exemplary
embodiment, the master station 129 andlor the cleaning sensor 121 enforces
adequate
cleaning of the equipment 115 by requiring that (i) the person cleaning the
equipment
115 be in close proximity to the equipment 115 for at least a minimum cleaning
period of time, (ii) the cleaning sensor 121 detect moisture associated with
the
cleaning process for at least the minimum cleaning period of time, and/or
(iii) the
cleaning sensor 121 detect physical contact associated with the cleaning
process for at
least the minimum cleaning period of time.
If the master station 129 in step 410 determines that the equipment 115 has
been successfully cleaned, then the master station 129 stops execution of the
equipment decontamination logic until the next triggering event. However, if
the
master station 129 in step 410 determines that the equipment 115 has not been
successfully cleaned, then the master station 129 in step 412 activates a
cleaning
status alarm associated with the equipment 115 and records the fact that the
patient
has been exposed to a contaminated piece of equipment 115. As a result of
activating
the cleaning status alarm, an indication is provided that the equipment 115
needs to be
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cleaned. For example, lights on the equipment 115 itself and/or a status
monitor for
the patient room may be illuminated. Also, sound may be emitted from the
equipment
115 and/or a status monitor for the patient room.
Similar to step 410, the master station 129 in step 414 determines whether the
equipment 115 has been successfully cleaned since the activation of the
cleaning
status alarm. To this end, the master station 129 determines based upon
caregiver and
patient location information received from the badges 112, equipment location
information received from the equipment badges 113, and cleaning information
received from the cleaning sensor 121 whether the equipment 115 has been
successfully cleaned. In particular, the master station 129 analyzes the
information
received from badges 112, 113, and the associated cleaning sensor 121 in order
to
determine whether (i) the person cleaning the equipment 115 has been in close
proximity to the equipment 115 for at least a minimum cleaning period of time,
(ii)
the cleaning sensor 121 has detected moisture associated with the cleaning
process for
at least the minimum cleaning period of time, and/or (iii) the cleaning sensor
121 has
detected physical contact associated with the cleaning process for at least
the
minimum cleaning period of time.
If the master station 129 in step 414 determines that the equipment 115 has
not been successfully cleaned, then the master station 129 returns to step 412
to make
another determination of whether the equipment 115 has been successfully
cleaned. If
the master station 129 in step 414 determines that the equipment 115 has been
successfully cleaned, then the master station 129 in step 416 deactivates the
cleaning
status alarm which was activated in step 412 and records the fact that the
equipment
115 has been successfully cleaned.
The following scenario illustrates the operation of the hygiene monitoring
system 100 in implementing the equipment decontamination logic of Fig. 9. To
begin, a first patient who is wearing an 1D wristband equipped with a badge
112 is
admitted to a patient room. Later, a clean IV pump that is equipped with an
equipment badge 113 and cleaning sensors 121 is brought into the patient room.
As a
result, the master station 129 would determine that the equipment 115 has
changed
location (step 402) and a new patient is with the equipment 115 (step 406).
The
master station 129 then would determine in step 410 that the equipment 115 has
been
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cleaned since its last use or exposure to a high risk contamination zone.
Accordingly,
the master station 129 would exit the procedure without activating the
cleaning status
alarm.
After two days, the patient is transferred from his patient room in the
intensive
care unit (ICU) to another room of the surgery floor. The IV pump accompanies
the
patient during the transfer to the new room. Accordingly, the master station
129
would determine that the equipment 115 has changed location (step 402) but
that a
new patient is not with the equipment 115 (step 406). The master station 129
then
would determine in step 408 that the equipment 115 has been not been
contaminated
due to exposure to a high risk contamination zone. Therefore, the master
station 129
would exit the procedure without activating the cleaning status alarm.
In another day, the first patient is discharged from the hospital and the IV
pump is returned to the ICU floor and placed into the original patient room
with a new
patient who is wearing an >D wristband equipped with a badge 112. At this
point, the
master station 129 would determine that the equipment 115 has changed location
(step
402) and that a new patient is with the equipment 115 (step 406). The master
station
129 then would determine in step 410 that the equipment 115 has been not been
cleaned since being contaminated due to being exposed to the discharged first
patient.
Accordingly, the master station 129 in step 412 would activate the cleaning
status
alarm associated with the IV pump and record the fact that the IV pump was not
cleaned before being placed in the room with the new patient. The master
station 129
would then continually monitor the IV pump until the cleaning sensors 121
indicate
that the IV pump has been properly cleaned (step 414). At which time, the
master
station 129 would deactivate the cleaning status alarm associated with the IV
pump
and record the fact that the IV pump has been properly cleaned (step 416).
Compliance Reports and System Interface
Shown in Figs. 4, 10-12, 13A, 13B, and 14 are various examples of different
compliance reports 128 that are generated by the hygiene monitoring system
100.
While the exemplary compliance reports 128 only depict compliance information
associated with handwashing, the compliance reports 128 could easily be
modified or
new compliance reports created which depict compliance information associate
with
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proper equipment cleaning practices. In one embodiment, hygiene compliance is
analyzed using chi-squared analysis. In another embodiment, hygiene compliance
compares handwashing events to employee movement. In another embodiment, every
Event that affects the Contamination Status, Infraction Status, Compliance
Rating, or
Maintenance Status as well as every change in location for a badge 112, 113 is
reported to the master station 129. Such information is sent to the master
station 129
in the form of messages. Exemplary messages are presented in Table 1.
Messa a When Data
Location Entry Transmitted when a badge Badge )D
is first seen in a
location. Sensor
Timestam
Location Exit Transmitted when a badge Badge 117
is no longer seen
by a sensor. Sensor ID
Timestam
Contamination Transmitted when a Badge Badge >D
Event ID's status
changes from "not contaminated"Sensor >D
to
"contaminated". Timestam
Infraction EventTransmitted each time an Badge ID
event affecting an
individual's compliance Sensor 1D
rating occurs.
Timestamp
Infraction
Level
Controlled HandwashTransmitted when a ControlledBadge )D
Handwash
Event Event has been completed. Sensor ID
Timestam
Failed HandwashTransmitted when a Failed Badge ID
Handwash Event
Event has occurred. Sensor >D
Timestam
Maintenance Transmitted when the statusSensor >D
Request bits of a
Event particular faucet monitoringTimestamp
device indicate
that a Maintenance ActivityMaintenance
is required.
Activit
Table 1
Fig. 10 shows a hospital summary report. The hospital summary report
provides a summary of compliance to handwashing guidelines for the hospital as
a
whole and specific departments within a healthcare environment. The purpose of
the
report is to identify departments within the hospital that have the most
difficulty with
compliance so that corrective action may be taken. As can be seen in Fig. 10,
the
report provides the time period that this report is associated with, an
overall
compliance rating and a breakdown of compliance ratings based upon department.
As
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shown in Fig. 10, department ICU had a 70 percent compliance for a total
number of
1500 visitations during the time period of October 1999.
In Fig. 11, a department summary report is shown. The department summary
report provides a summary of the compliance to handwashing guidelines for a
specific
department within a healthcare environment. The purpose of the report is to
identify
areas within the unit and groups of caregivers which have the most difficulty
with
compliance so that corrective action may be taken. As shown in Fig. 11, the
department summary report includes the department name and number, the time
period for which the report is generated and an overall department compliance
rating.
The report also breaks the department down into different locations or zones.
These
are provided with a specific identification number (e.g. location 201). This
breakdown allows the person viewing the report to determine which zones are
having
the most difficulty with handwashing compliance. Also shown in Fig. 11, is the
compliance for each zone along with the number of visitations to that zone
during a
specific time period. The department summary report also provides a breakdown
for
the groups within the report showing the individual groups compliance ratings.
This
breakdown allows quick identification of the contribution made by each group
to the
overall compliance rating.
Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a group summary report. The group summary
report provides a summary of the compliance to handwashing guidelines for a
specific
group of caregivers within the healthcare environment. The purpose of the
report is to
identify areas within the unit where the compliance is low so that corrective
action
may be taken within a specific group of caregivers. As can be seen from Fig.
12, the
visiting physician group summary report contains the department name and
number,
the time period of the report and the overall compliance rating of the report.
The
report breaks the department down into different locations or zones. This
breakdown
allows the person reviewing the report to determine which zones are having the
most
difficulty with handwashing compliance. The report also breaks down the group
into
the individuals within the group showing their identification number, name,
number
of visitations and the individual compliance. This allows identification of
the
contribution of each individual to the overall compliance rating of the group.
Fig. 13A shows an individual summary report. The individual summary report
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provides a summary of the compliance to handwashing guidelines for a specific
individual within a healthcare environment. The purpose of the report is to
identify
areas within the unit wherein an individual is having the most difficulty with
compliance so that corrective action may be taken. As shown in Fig. 13A, the
individual summary report includes the identification number of the person,
the name
of the person, the department and group to which the person belongs, the time
period
for the report, and the compliance rating for the department. Also provided
are the
different locations or zones within the department with the number of
visitations the
particular individual made to those zones, and the individual's compliance
rating
during those visits.
Fig. 13B shows a detailed compliance report for an individual. The detailed
compliance report provides a summary of the compliance to handwashing
guidelines
for a specific individual over a specific time period within the healthcare
environment.
The purpose of the report is to understand traffic patterns of the individual
so that
greater insight as to why compliance is not occurring may be gained. As shown
in
Fig. 13B, the identification number of the individual, the name of the
individual, the
department and group to which the individual belongs, the time period for
which the
report is being generated, and the compliance rating for the individual are
shown. The
lower portion of the report breaks down the locations or zones the individual
visited
along with the times of the visits and the status that was recorded by the
handwashing
monitoring logic.
Fig. 14 shows an exemplary user interface 500 of the hygiene monitoring
system 100. In the exemplary embodiment, the user interface was implemented as
a
MedModel application executing on the master station 129. As is known to those
skilled in the art, MedModel is a software tool of ProModel Corporation which
is
generally used for simulation modeling of healthcare facilities. As depicted,
the user
interface 500 generally includes a floor layout 502 and a scoreboard status
505. The
floor layout 502 generally depicts the zones and rooms 504 of the facility as
well as
handwashing devices 506, equipment 508, and persons 510. In the exemplary
embodiment, the zones and rooms 504 are color coded in order to enable a user
to
quickly identify the classification of the zones and the room 504. Moreover,
the
handwashing devices 506 are depicted such that they blink if there is a
problem
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associated with the handwashing device (e.g. out of soap). Moreover, equipment
508
and persons 510 are also color coded in order to depict their current status
(e.g.
contaminated, or not contaminated).
The scoreboard status 504 generally provides pseudo-realtime statistics and
other information for the facility. For example, as depicted in Fig. 14, the
scoreboard
status 504 may provide a display of running compliance rates in regard to a
defined
handwashing policy for the facility. In particular, the scoreboard status 504
may be
set to display overall and unit compliance ratings and contribution of
sanitizer and
handwashing events over the past hour, day, month and year.
The user interface 500 also enables a user to view or modify status details
based upon a clearance level associated with the particular user. In the
exemplary
embodiment, a user may have a first clearance level, a second clearance level,
or a
third clearance level associated therewith. If a first clearance level is
associated with
the user, then the exemplary user interface 500 enables a user to select a
given room
505 in order to view the classification of the room, status of sensors in the
room, and
overall compliance associated with the room. A user having a second clearance
level
may do all of the above with respect to rooms 505 plus the user may respond to
maintenance alarms and change room classifications via the user interface 500.
Further, a user having a third clearance level may do all of the above with
respect to
rooms 505 plus the user may reconfigure room layout and sink locations,
reassign
sensor classifications (e.g. associated with or not associated with a
handwashing
device), change color layout, view managerial reports such as running
compliance
rates and employee compliance rates.
If a user has the first clearance level, then that user may also select a sink
506
in order to obtain system status information for the sink, obtain a graphic
display of
soap level and scrub duration setting, obtain a graphic display of the unit
use profile
for the past day, month or year compared to the average and overall use of all
other
sinks, obtain information comparing completed versus failed controlled
handwashing
events for the sink, and obtain a graphical display of mechanical performance
rating
for the sink. If a user has the second or third clearance level, then that
user may
perform all of the above actions in regard to sinks 506 plus the user may
respond to
maintenance alarms associated with the sinks.
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If a user has the first clearance level, then that user may also select a hand
sanitizer 506 in order to obtain system status information for the hand
sanitizer, obtain
a graphic display of sanitizer level and scrub duration setting, obtain a
graphic display
of the unit use profile for the past day, month or year compared to the
average and
overall use of all other sinks, and obtain information comparing completed
versus
failed controlled handwashing events for the hand sanitizer, and obtain a
graphical
display of mechanical performance rating for the hand sanitizer. If a user has
the
second or third clearance level, then that user may perform all of the above
actions in
regard to hand sanitizers 506 plus the user may respond to maintenance alarms
associated with the hand sanitizers.
If a user has the third clearance level, then that user may further select a
person
510 to display the m number of individual, obtain a graphical display of the
individuals compliance and the individuals contribution of sanitizer and
handwashing
events for the past day, month or year compared to average and overall
compliance
rating, obtain distribution of infraction levels for the individual, and
obtain an
employee profile for the individual including name, number, title, unit etc.
If a user has the first clearance level, then that user may further select
equipment 508 to display a description of the equipment, display the current
status of
the equipment, obtain a graphic display of the cleaning profile for the past
day, month.
or year compared to average and overall cleaning of all other devices, and
obtain a
graphical display on overall compliance to cleaning for the equipment. If a
user has
the second clearance level, then that user may perform all of the above in
regard to
equipment 508 plus the user may respond to maintenance alarms associated with
the
equipment. If a user has the third clearance level, then that user may perform
all of
the above in regard to equipment 508 plus the user may reclassify the >D
associated
with the equipment.
It is within the scope of the present invention for the same overall system to
be
used for a multitude of applications. As already stated the system can be used
to
monitor handwashing compliance, monitoring device activity, equipment
tracking,
and visitor tracking. By utilizing the same backbone infrastructure the cost
for the
entire system is able to be spread across a multitude of applications.
Additionally the
cost of adding additional modules such as visitor tracking is minimal because
the
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backbone infrastructure is already in place.
The disclosures of related U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/162,537 filed
29 October 1999, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/169,315, filed 7 December
1999, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/223,365, filed 7 August 2000,
are
hereby incorporated by reference.
