Hand hygiene compliance monitoring

Abstract

A system and associated processes monitor hand hygiene compliance. The system includes hand hygiene product dispensers positioned within areas of concern (AOC) in a facility in which hand hygiene events are to be monitored. The dispensers detect dispense events initiated at the dispenser and transmit a dispense event signal indicative that a dispense event occurred along with dispenser identification information. The system also includes a plurality of compliance badges, each worn by a different person in the facility. The dispense event information may then be transferred to a local or remote computer for analysis and reporting on hand hygiene events taking place within the facility.

1 . A system comprising:
 one or more hand hygiene product dispensers, each associated with an area of concern (AOC) within a facility, that are configured to detect a dispense event via an activator coupled to a battery, transmits an interrogation signal for inducing an identification signal from a compliance badge via a wireless module card coupled to said battery, and wirelessly transmit a dispense event signal including dispense event data via said wireless module card;   one or more uniquely identified compliance badges, each of that configured to receive the interrogation signal and to generate the identification signal including identification information; and   a hygiene data collector configured to wirelessly receive the identification information generated by the compliance badge and the dispense event data associated with the detected dispense event.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more hand hygiene product dispensers further includes a connector that electrically couples the activator, the wireless module card and the battery such that the activator and the wireless module card receive power from the dispenser. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more hand hygiene product dispensers further includes an activation mechanism for dispensing a hand hygiene chemical product. 
     
     
         4 . A hygiene compliance dispenser module for a dispenser having a dispenser activator that supplies an activation signal to an electrical interface when activated to dispense chemical product, the hygiene compliance dispenser module comprising:
 a wireless module card having a connector, said connector adapted to be coupled to the electrical interface in the dispenser, so as to be electrically coupled to the dispenser activator;   a wireless module processor disposed on said wireless module card and coupled to said connector, wherein when said connector is coupled to the electrical interface in the dispenser, said wireless module processor enables hygiene compliance monitoring in a hygiene compliance system, such that said wireless module processor is configured to detect the activation signal from the activator as dispense event data; and   a wireless module transmitter coupled to said wireless module processor;   wherein when the activator of the dispenser is activated, said wireless module transmitter is configured to communicate said dispense event data to a hygiene data collection module that is configured to receive dispense event data from a plurality of dispensers and to be in communication with a computing device configured to gather the dispense event data.   
     
     
         5 . The hygiene compliance dispenser module of  claim 4 , further comprising a battery, and wherein the activator receives power from the battery and is configured to be coupled to an activation mechanism that dispenses the chemical product. 
     
     
         6 . A hygiene compliance dispenser module for a dispenser having a dispenser activator that supplies an activation signal to a connection interface when activated to dispense chemical product, the hygiene compliance dispenser module comprising:
 a wireless module card having a connector, said connector adapted to be coupled to the connection interface in the dispenser, so as to be communicatively coupled to the dispenser activator;   a wireless module processor disposed on said wireless module card and coupled to said connector, wherein when said connector is coupled to the connection interface in the dispenser, said wireless module processor enables hygiene compliance monitoring in a hygiene compliance system, such that said wireless module processor is configured to detect the activation signal from the activator as dispense event data; and   a wireless module transmitter and receiver coupled to said wireless module processor, said receiver configured to wirelessly receive an operation command to adjust functioning of the hygiene compliance dispenser module;   wherein when the dispenser activator is activated, said wireless module processor transmits said dispense event data via said wireless module transmitter to a hygiene data collection module that is configured to receive dispense event data from a plurality of dispensers and to be in communication with a computing device configured to gather the dispense event data   
     
     
         7 . The hygiene compliance dispenser module of  claim 6 , further comprising a battery, and wherein the activator receives power from the battery and is configured to be coupled to an activation mechanism that dispenses the chemical product. 
     
     
         8 . A method of enabling hygiene compliance monitoring at a hand hygiene dispenser comprising:
 providing a dispenser having an electrical interface having an activation terminal that is electrically coupled to a dispenser activator;   providing a hygiene compliance dispenser module having a wireless module card with a connector that is electrically coupled to a wireless module processor;   coupling said connector of said wireless module card to the electrical interface, such that said activation terminal is electrically coupled to said wireless module processor, whereupon said hygiene compliance dispenser module enables hygiene compliance monitoring activities in a hygiene compliance system;   providing an identification tag that wirelessly transmits an identification signal including identification information to said hygiene compliance dispenser module;   monitoring said activation terminal at said module controller;   dispensing chemical product from said dispenser;   detecting an activation signal on said activation terminal at said wireless module processor as dispense event data; and   associating said identification information with said dispense event data.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 providing a battery; and   powering the hygiene compliance dispenser module with the battery.   
     
     
         10 . A system for monitoring hand hygiene compliance comprising:
 a plurality of uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers, each associated with an area of concern within a facility, and each including:
 a dispenser mechanism for dispensing a hand hygiene chemical product; 
 a dispenser module that is configured to detect a dispense event and to transmit an interrogation signal for inducing an identification signal from a compliance badge; 
 a battery; 
 a connector that is electrically coupled the dispenser module to the battery such that the dispenser module receives power; 
   a plurality of uniquely identified compliance badges, each of that configured to receive the interrogation signal and to generate the identification signal including identification information; and   a hygiene data collector configured to wirelessly receive the identification information generated by the compliance badge and the dispense event data associated with the detected dispense event.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising one or more data gathering stations associated with the facility, each of which receives one or more of the dispense event records. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a computing device that receives the dispense event records directly or indirectly from the one or more data gathering stations and analyzes the dispense event records to monitor hand hygiene events in the facility. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , the system is configured such that two or more successive dispense events are counted as a single dispense event when the two or more successive dispense events satisfy a debounce condition. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , each of the plurality of hand hygiene product dispensers is configured to transmit dispenser status information, wherein the dispenser status information includes one or more of a battery status, a fault conditions, a time of last status data, a data gauge level, a total number of dispense events, and a total number of badged dispense events.