# US 10,121,149 B2 · Methods for ensuring and tracking hand hygiene compliance

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- Number: US 10,121,149 B2
- Document ID: US10121149B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/029,746
- Filed: 2013-09-17
- Published: 2014-03-20
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-09-17
- Assignees: Sage Products, LLC
- Applicants: Sage Products, LLC
- Inventors: Greg Davis; David Beck; Ronald C. Cagle; Jessica Farrell
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121149B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/018: Certifying business or products
- A61B 90/80: Implements for cleaning or washing the skin of surgeons or patients
- A61B 90/98: using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
- B65D 90/48: Arrangements of indicating or measuring devices
- G16H 40/20: for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
- G16Z 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- G16Z: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## 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.

## Claims

### 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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

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

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

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

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

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

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

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

### Claim 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.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

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

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

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

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

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

### Claim 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 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.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising displaying the individual user's dispensing performance on a screen of the user's hand hygiene dispenser.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising reviewing the dispensing of one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers over a predetermined time period to determine whether one or more of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers has a higher dispensing rate to detect cheating by the user.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising assigning a rating to each individual user based on the user's average dispensing rate.

### Claim 16

A computer-implemented method for tracking dispensing of a plurality hand hygiene dispensers, comprising:
providing a plurality of hand hygiene dispensers, each hand hygiene dispenser having a reservoir configured to hold hand sanitizer, each hand hygiene dispenser being associated with an individual user;
determining by a processor user IDs and associating the user IDs with the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers and determining locations of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
displaying each associated user ID to each user;
determining by a processor dispensing rates of the plurality of hand hygiene dispensers;
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 a sensor of the dispenser an 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 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.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein the notification is provided anonymously to the user using the individual user's user ID.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein a real-time reminder is sent after a predetermined time period when one of the plurality of dispensers are electronically detected within a predetermined area and when not used within the predetermined time period.