Hand hygiene compliance monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10529219-B2
Application number	US-201816185499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A system and associated processes monitor hand hygiene compliance. For example, the hand hygiene compliance system may monitor, analyze and report on hand hygiene compliance after usage of bathroom facilities. Usage of bathroom facilities is determined by sensing activation (e.g., flushing) of a toilet or a urinal. Each activation event gives rise to a hand hygiene opportunity, and should be followed by performance of a corresponding hand hygiene procedure in order for the hand hygiene opportunity to be deemed “compliant”. Performance of a hand hygiene procedure is determined by sensing actuation of a hand hygiene product dispenser. To determine whether a hand hygiene opportunity is compliant, the system may determine whether a dispenser actuation event occurred within a predetermined period of time from the activation event.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system that monitors hand hygiene compliance at a facility, comprising:
an activation sensor module that senses activation of a toilet/urinal and transmits corresponding activation event data including an activation sensor identifier and a date and time associated with the sensed activation of the toilet/urinal, the activation event data identifying an associated hand hygiene opportunity;
a dispenser actuation sensor module that senses actuation of a hand hygiene product dispenser and transmits corresponding dispense event data including a dispenser actuation sensor identifier and a date and time associated with the sensed actuation of the hand hygiene product dispenser; and
a computing device that receives the activation event data and the dispense event data and determines whether the hand hygiene opportunity was compliant with one or more hand hygiene compliance rules,
the compliance rules including a predetermined period of time within which actuation of the hand hygiene product dispenser must occur subsequent to the sensed activation of the toilet/urinal in order for the computing device to determine that the hand hygiene opportunity is compliant.

2. The system of claim 1 , further including a plurality of dispenser actuation sensors, each associated with a different one of a plurality of hand hygiene product dispensers located throughout a facility,
the compliance rules further including an association between the activation sensor module and at least one of the plurality of hand hygiene product dispensers, such that actuation of at least one of the associated dispensers must occur within the predetermined period of time subsequent to the sensed activation of the toilet/urinal in order for the computing device to determine that the hand hygiene opportunity is compliant.

3. The system of claim 2 , further including a plurality of activation sensor modules, each associated with a different one of a plurality of toilet/urinals.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the association between the activation sensor module and the at least one of the plurality of hand hygiene product dispensers is based on their installation in the same restroom.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote computing system further includes a reporting application that generates reports concerning hand hygiene compliance at the facility.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote computing system further permits users to remotely request and receive the reports.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote computing system generates a compliance score according to the equation:

%
⁢

⁢
Hand
⁢

⁢
Hygiene
⁢

⁢
Compliance

=

Hand
⁢

⁢
Hygiene
⁢

⁢
Opportunities
×
100

Compliant
⁢

⁢
Hand
⁢

⁢
Hygiene
⁢

⁢

Events
.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hand hygiene product dispenser dispenses one of a hand soap, a hand sanitizer, a hand rub, or an aqueous solution.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the hand hygiene product dispenser dispenses one of a liquid, a gel, a lotion, or a foam.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a compliance badge including a badge module that stores badge identification data uniquely associated with a user, and that communicates the badge identification data to the toilet/urinal activation sensor upon,
wherein the toilet/urinal activation sensor stores the badge identification data as part of the activation event data and the dispenser actuation sensor module stores the badge identification data as part of the dispenser data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the compliance rules include a predetermined period of time within which actuation of the hand hygiene product dispenser associated with the badge identification data must occur subsequent to the sensed activation of the toilet/urinal associated with the badge identification data in order for the computing device to determine that the hand hygiene opportunity is compliant.

12. A system that monitors hand hygiene compliance at a facility, comprising:
an activation sensor module that senses activation of a toilet/urinal and transmits corresponding activation event data including an activation sensor identifier and a date and time associated with the sensed activation of the toilet/urinal, the activation event data identifying an associated hand hygiene opportunity;
a dispenser actuation sensor module that senses actuation of a hand hygiene product dispenser and transmits corresponding dispense event data including a dispenser actuation sensor identifier and a date and time associated with the sensed actuation of the hand hygiene product dispenser; and
a computing device that receives the activation event data and the dispense event data and determines whether the dispense event occurred within a predetermined period of time of the activation event to determine whether the hand hygiene opportunity was a compliant hand hygiene opportunity.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the computing device further associates the toilet/urinal with one or more hand hygiene product dispensers based on the toilet/urinal and the one or more hand hygiene product dispensers being located in the same restroom, and further wherein the computing device further determines whether the dispense event occurred at one of the one or more associated hand hygiene product dispensers to determine whether the hand hygiene opportunity was a compliant hand hygiene opportunity.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the remote computing system generates a compliance score based on the activation event data and the dispense event data.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the remote computing system generates the compliance score according to the equation:

%
⁢

⁢
Hand
⁢

⁢
Hygiene
⁢

⁢
Compliance

=

Hand
⁢

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Herdt Brandon L
• Wald Daniel R
• Wood Kyle D

Classifications

• A47K5/1211

  using pressure on soap, e.g. with piston (A47K5/1201 takes precedence; using squeeze bottles or the like A47K5/122) · CPC title

• A47K5/1217 Primary

  Electrical control means for the dispensing mechanism · CPC title

• G09B19/0076

  Body hygiene; Dressing; Knot tying · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G08B21/245 Primary

  Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands · CPC title