Methods for ensuring and tracking hand hygiene compliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10121149-B2
Application number	US-201314029746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2013
Priority date	Sep 17, 2012
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A method for ensuring hand hygiene compliance may include tracking dispensing of a plurality hand hygiene dispensers having hand sanitizer. Each hand hygiene dispenser can be associated with an individual user. A processor may determine dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers for a plurality of predetermined time periods and each of the plurality of the hand hygiene dispensers is identified with an individual user. The average dispensing rate can be calculated taking a predetermined number of highest dispensing rates out of the plurality of predetermined time periods. The rates can be displayed to the users, and the users can be notified of proper hand hygiene compliance or if the average dispensing rate falls below a target threshold rate.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking dispensing of a plurality of hand hygiene dispensers comprising:
connecting the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers to a computer network, each of the plurality of dispensers having a reservoir with hand sanitizer and a sensor for determining an amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir, each hand hygiene dispenser being associated with an individual user and having an indicator that signals when the user dispenses hand sanitizer to notify the individual user that a signal is being transmitted;
determining by a processor dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers for a plurality of predetermined time periods;
identifying each of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers with an individual user code and determining locations of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
providing the identified hand hygiene dispensers to the individual users;
normalizing the dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers by determining with a processor a predetermined number of highest dispensing rates out of the plurality of predetermined time periods for each dispenser and calculating an average dispensing rate for each dispenser based on the predetermined number of highest dispensing rates for the dispenser;
detecting whether users are using a predetermined amount of hand sanitizer for hand hygiene compliance by, for each dispenser, detecting a number of dispenser activations, determining by the sensor the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir, and comparing, by the respective hand hygiene dispenser, the number of dispenser activations with the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir determined by the sensor;
displaying the dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
sending a notification to an individual user regarding performance based on the individual user's average hand hygiene dispensing rates and whether the predetermined amount of hand sanitizer is being used for hand hygiene compliance; and
reviewing the dispensing of one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers to determine whether one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers has a higher dispensing rate to detect cheating by the one or more individual users for the one or more plurality of hand hygiene dispensers by calculating a mean time between dispenser activations for each dispenser and determining whether a number of the dispenser activations occur below the mean time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the individual user's dispensing performance on a screen of the user's hand hygiene dispenser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers each has a wireless transmitter and wherein the wireless transmitter sends user performance data from the dispenser.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined time periods comprise work shifts for the users and wherein a number of the predetermined time periods is greater than or equal to six.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined number of highest dispensing rates is greater than three.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a rating to each individual user based on the user's average dispensing rate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the notification is based on certain ratings of the user.

8. A system comprising:
at least one hand hygiene dispenser comprising:
a reservoir configured to hold hand sanitizer,
an actuator for dispensing hand sanitizer,
a sensor for determining an amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir,
a wireless transmitter configured to transmit user performance data from the dispenser, and
an indicator associated with the actuator that signals when a user dispenses hand sanitizer to notify the user that a signal is being transmitted;
wherein the hand hygiene dispenser is identified by an individual user code;
detecting whether users are using a predetermined amount of hand sanitizer for hand hygiene compliance by, for each dispenser, detecting a number of dispenser activations, determining by the sensor the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir, and comparing, by the respective hand hygiene dispenser, the number of dispenser activations with the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir determined by the sensor; and
a computing device configured to perform:
determining by a processor dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers for a plurality of predetermined time periods;
identifying each of the plurality of the hand hygiene dispensers with individual user codes and anonymously providing the user codes to the individual users and determining locations of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
calculating an average dispensing rate based on a predetermined number of dispensing rates;
displaying the dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
sending a notification to an individual user regarding performance based on the individual user's hand hygiene dispensing rates and whether the predetermined amount of hand sanitizer is being used for hand hygiene compliance; and
reviewing the dispensing of one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers to determine whether one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers has a higher dispensing rate to detect cheating by the one or more individual users for the one or more plurality of hand hygiene dispensers by calculating a mean time between dispenser activations for each dispenser and determining whether a number of the dispenser activations occur below the mean time.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising displaying the individual user's dispensing performance on a screen of the user's hand hygiene dispenser.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising assigning a rating to each individual user based on the user's average dispensing rate.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the notification is based on certain ratings of the user.

12. A non-transitory computer usable medium storing computer readable instructions therein, said instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method comprising:
determining by a processor dispensing rates of a plurality of hand hygiene dispensers for a plurality of predetermined time periods, wherein the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers each has a reservoir having hand sanitizer in the reservoir, a sensor for determining an amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir, and an indicator to notify the individual user that a signal is being transmitted;
identifying each of the plurality of the hand hygiene dispensers with an individual user code and providing anonymously the user code to the user;
normalizing the dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers by calculating an average dispensing rate for each dispenser based on a predetermined number of dispensing rates for the dispenser;
detecting whether users are using a predetermined amount of hand sanitizer for hand hygiene compliance by, for each dispenser, detecting a number of dispenser activations, determining by the sensor the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir, and comparing, by the respective hand hygiene dispenser, the number of dispenser activations with the amount of hand sanitizer in the reservoir;
displaying the average dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
notifying an individual user regarding performance based on the individual user's dispensing rates and whether the predetermined amount of hand sanitizer is being used for hand hygiene compliance; and
reviewing the dispensing of one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers to determine wheth

Assignees

• Sage Products Llc

Inventors

• Davis Greg
• Beck David
• Cagle Ronald C
• Farrell Jessica

Classifications

• G06Q50/22

  Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services · CPC title

• B65D90/48

  Arrangements of indicating or measuring devices · CPC title

• G06Q30/018 Primary

  Certifying business or products · CPC title

• A61B90/80

  Implements for cleaning or washing the skin of surgeons or patients · CPC title

• G16H40/20

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title