Hand washing reminder device and method
OwnerMichael David Johnson, Robert Louis Clark, JR.inventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device and method for reminding people to maintain hand hygiene. Further a device and method for reminding people to perform hand washing and obtaining hand hygiene compliance data in a patient care environment, which may be a hospital, a nursing home, or a food service facility, which may be a restaurant or cafeteria. A device and method for using accelerometry and/or additional sensor cues, which may include the sound of running water and/or alcohol odor, for sensing when a person has washed their hands, and for using accelerometry information and other cues to determine when a person has touched something, thereby contaminating his/her hands.
Claims19
A method for ensuring hand hygiene compliance, said method comprising the steps of:
- sensing whether a person has washed their hands;
- determining a hand wash state of said person's hands;
- indicating said hand wash state of said person's hands;
- and
- alerting at least one individual of said hand wash state of said person's hands.
An apparatus for ensuring hand hygiene compliance, said apparatus comprising:
- a sensing device, said sensing device for determining a hand wash state;
- an indicating device, said indicating device indicating said hand wash state of said person;
- and an alerting device, said alerting device alerting at least one individual of said state of hand wash said of said person's hands.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.