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. Each compliance badge receives dispense event signals corresponding dispenser identification information associated with dispense events initiated by the wearer of the compliance badge. The badges store dispense event records associated with each dispense event initiated by the wearer and thus keep track of all dispense events initiated by the wearer of the compliance badge. One or more data gathering stations positioned at various locations through the facility receive the dispense event information from the individual badges when they come within range. 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.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 one or more uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers, each associated with an area of concern (AOC) within a facility; and 
 one or more uniquely identified compliance badges; 
 wherein each of the one or more uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers is configured to: , that
 detects a dispense event; 
 detect whether one of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges is within range of the dispenser; 
 in response to detecting that one of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges is within range of the dispenser, associate the detected dispense event with the detected one of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges that is within range of the dispenser and increment a total number of badged dispense events detected by the dispenser; 
 in response to detecting that none of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges are within range of the dispenser, increment a total number of unbadged dispense events detected by the dispenser; and 
 transmits a corresponding dispense event signal and dispenser identification information to the detected one of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges within range of the dispenser, wherein each dispense event signal further includes dispenser status information including a total number of dispense events detected by the dispenser, the total number of badged dispense events detected by the dispenser, and the total number of unbadged dispense events detected by the dispenser; and 
 
 wherein each of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges, each of thatis configured to:  
 receives the dispense event signal and the dispenser identification information; and 
 stores the dispenser identification information and the dispenser status information in a dispense event record that is associated with the detected dispense event. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the dispenser each of the one or more uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers is further configured to increments a dispense event counter upon detection of a dispense event. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  wherein the each of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges is further configured to stores a time and date stamp indicative of a time at which the dispense event occurred in the associated dispense event record. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3  wherein the dispenser each of the one or more uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers further includes a low frequency transmitter that transmits a low frequency wake-up signal upon detection of a dispense event. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4  wherein the at least one compliance badge comprises a low frequency receiver that configured to receives the low frequency wake-up signal and, upon receipt, activates a radio frequency transceiver. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1  further comprising one or more data gathering stations associated with the facility, each of which is configured to receives one or more of the dispense event records from the one or more compliance badges. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6  further comprising a computing device that configured to 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. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7  wherein the computing device is further configured to generates reports concerning the hand hygiene events in the facility. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1  wherein the dispenser is further configured to counts two or more successive dispense events as a single dispense event when the two or more successive dispense events satisfy a debounce condition. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1  wherein a local or a remote computer is configured to counts two or more successive dispense events as a single dispense event when the two or more successive dispense events satisfy a debounce condition. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1  wherein the dispenser further transmits dispenser status information, wherein the dispenser status information further includes one or more of a battery status, a fault conditions, a time of last status data, and a data gauge level, a total number of dispense events, and a total number of badged dispense events. 
     
     
       12. A system comprising:
 at least one hand hygiene product. dispenser, positioned within an area of concern (AOC) in a facility in which hand hygiene events are to be monitored, ; 
 a plurality of compliance badges each having uniquely associated badge identification information; 
 wherein the at least one hand hygiene product dispenser is configured to: that
 sensesdetect a dispense event initiated by a wearer of a compliance badge; 
 detect whether one of the plurality of compliance badges is within range of the dispenser; 
 in response to detecting one of the plurality of compliance badges within range of the dispenser, associate the dispense event with the detected one of the plurality of compliance badges within range of the dispenser and increment. a total number of badged dispense events; 
 in response to detecting none of the plyurality of compliance badges within range of the dispenser, increment a total number of unbadged dispensein respon events; and 
 
 transmits dispenser data concerning the dispense event to the detected one of the plurality of compliance badges within range of the dispenser the dispenser data including dispenser identification information and dispenser status information including a total number of disperse events detected by the dispenser, the total number of badged dispense events and the total number of unbadged dispense events; and 
 awherein the detected one of the plurality of compliance badges , each having uniquely associated badge identification information and each of which is worn by a different one of a plurality of wearers, wherein each compliance badgeis configured to receives the dispenser data associated with dispense events initiated by the wearer of the compliance badge, and stores the dispenser data in a corresponding dispense event records associated with each dispense event initiated by the wearer. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12  wherein each the at least one hand hygiene product dispenser is further configured to increments a dispense event counter upon detection of a dispense event. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 12  wherein the detected one of the plurality of compliance badges is further configured to stores a time and date stamp indicative of a time at which the dispense event occurred. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 12  further comprising one or more data gathering stations associated with the facility, wherein each of which the one or more data gathering stations is configured to receives one or more of the dispense event records from the one or more compliance badges. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15  further comprising a computing device that configured to 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. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16  wherein the computing device is further configured to generates reports concerning the hand hygiene events in the facility. 
     
     
       18. A system comprising:
 at least one hand hygiene product dispenser, positioned within an area of concern (AOC) in a facility in which hand hygiene events are to be monitored, that the at least one hand hygiene product dispenser configured to: 
 senses a dispense event; 
 detect a compliance badge within range of the dispenser; 
 in response to detecting the compliance badge within range of the dispenser, associate the dispense event with the detected compliance badge, increment a total number of badged dispense events and transmits a dispense event signal indicative that a dispense event occurred and that transmits to the detected one of the plurality of compliance badges within range of the dispenser, wherein the dispense event signal includes dispenser identification information and dispenser status information including a total number of dispense events sensed by the dispenser, the total number of badged dispense events sensed by the dispenser and a total number of unbadged dispense events sensed by the dispenser, wherein the total number of unbadged dispense events includes dispense events sensed by the dispenser for which no compliance badge was detected within range of the dispenser; and 
 
 awherein the detected compliance badge thatis configured to receives the dispense event signal and the dispenser identification information associated with dispense events initiated by a wearer of the compliance badge, and stores a dispense event records associated with each dispense event initiated by the wearer including the dispenser identification information and the dispenser status information. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18  further comprising a plurality of compliance badges, each worn by associated with a different one of a plurality of wearers. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19  further comprising:
 one or more data gathering stations associated with the facility, each of which is configured to receives one or more of the dispense event records from at least one of the plurality of compliance badges; and 
 a computing device that configured to 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. 
 
     
     
       21. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of compliance badges is configured to store a plurality of dispense event records, each dispense event record corresponding to a different dispense event, each dispense event record including a time and date of the dispense event and the dispenser identification information corresponding to the dispense event.  
     
     
       22. The system of claim 12, wherein each dispense event record includes a time and date of the dispense event and the dispenser identification information.  
     
     
       23. The system of claim 12 wherein each dispense event record includes a time and date of the dispense event, the dispenser identification information, a dispenser type, a dispensed product name, a dispensed product type, a healthcare worker id, and a dispenser empty indication.  
     
     
       24. The system of claim 21, wherein each compliance badge is configured to wirelessly transmit the plurality of dispense event records for receipt by a data gathering station when the badge is within range of the data gathering station.  
     
     
       25. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more uniquely identified hand hygiene product dispensers further includes a badged dispense event counter configured to store the total number of badged dispense events detected by the dispenser.  
     
     
       26. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more uniquely identified compliance badges is configured to store the dispenser status information in a data record corresponding to the dispenser identification information.