The pilot study used ZigBee technology, which is part of a new generation of wireless devices that require less power. Workers wear small, pager-sized badges to monitor their use of hand hygiene dispenser stations prior to entering patient rooms. Each use of a dispenser station is automatically reported by the user’s badge, which logs the time as well as length of use, date and dispenser ID number. The data can then be down-loaded and aggregated without any manual data entry.
The technology was developed in collaboration with computer scientists at the UI, led by Ted Herman, professor of computer science. Herman’s team designed the badge and placement of small beacons inside patient rooms and other designated locations.
“Our new low-cost method of monitoring could potentially reduce costs while increasing compliance rates,” said the study’s lead investigator, Philip Polgreen, who also holds an appointment in epidemiology in the UI College of Public Health.
“A novel part of our method is how data is recorded,” Herman added. “Data is recorded and processed in the badges rather than relying on a network.”
“This new technology is a novel and practical method to determine hygiene compliance that does not rely on the installation of expensive infrastructure and can be installed and removed within minutes,” said Polgreen. www.uiowa.edu
