Method and system to monitor hand hygiene compliance

1. A system which allows healthcare providers to monitor hand hygiene compliance comprising:

a data reader adapted to be worn by a healthcare provider;

a portal trigger disposed at each door portal of a patient room which activates the reader to record an entrance event when the provider enters the patient room; and

a dispenser trigger disposed at each cleaning dispenser having cleanser in or at the entrance of each patient room which activates the reader to record a dispensing event when the provider causes the dispenser to dispense cleanser, the reader having a display which displays a number of dispensing events and a number of entrance events.

2. A system as described in claim 1 wherein the display displays a ratio of the number of dispensing events and the number of entrance events.

3. A system as described in claim 2 wherein the display displays the ratio, the number of entrance events, and the number of dispensing events simultaneously.

4. A system as described in claim 3 wherein the reader includes a lock which is controlled by the provider to control access to the number of dispensing events, the number of entrance events and the ratio recorded by the reader.

5. A system as described in claim 4 wherein the dispenser includes a lever to which the dispenser trigger is engaged.

6. A system as described in claim 5 wherein the reader resets the number of dispensing events, the number of entrance events and the ratio to zero after a predetermined time.

7. A system as described in claim 6 wherein the reader includes a memory which stores the number of dispensing events, the number of entrance events and the ratio.

8. A system as described in claim 7 wherein the reader includes a timer.

9. A system as described in claim 8 wherein the reader includes a CPU.

10. A system as described in claim 9 wherein the reader is part of a tag or a pager.

11. A system as described in claim 10 wherein the triggers have a transmitter and a receiver.

12. A system as described in claim 11 wherein the reader has a transmitter and a receiver.

13. A system as described in claim 12 wherein the memory can be externally electronically interrogated.

14. A system as described in claim 13 wherein an entrance event only occurs when the reader enters the patient room.

15. A system as described in claim 14 wherein there can only be at most two dispensing events associated with one entrance event.

16. A system as described in claim 15 wherein the reader has an enabled state entered when either an entrance event or a dispensing event occurs, an activated state entered when the reader is in the enabled state and an entrance event or a dispensing event occurs, and a finalized state entered when the reader is in an activated state and a dispensing event occurs.

17. A system as described in claim 16 wherein the dispenser trigger has an enabled position and an activated position; the enabled position on the dispenser trigger is entered into as a result of, and dependent upon, the reader entering the enabled state; the activated position on the dispenser trigger is subsequently arrived at when a dispensing event occurs with the dispenser.

18. A system as described in claim 17 including an additional data reader worn by an additional healthcare provider and wherein each reader only records a dispensing event associated with the provider having the corresponding reader.

19. A system as described in claim 18 wherein the dispenser transmits a key each time the dispenser has a dispensing event associated with the reader of the provider initiating the dispensing event.

20. A system as described in claim 17 wherein the reader and the triggers use RFID to communicate with each other.

21. A system as described in claim 17 wherein the reader and the triggers use Bluetooth technology to communicate with each other.

22. A method for allowing healthcare providers to monitor hand hygiene compliance comprising the steps of:

activating a data reader worn by a healthcare provider by a portal trigger disposed at each door portal of a patient room and recording an entrance event when the provider enters the patient room;

activating the reader by a dispenser trigger disposed at each cleaning dispenser having cleanser at the entrance of each patient room and recording a dispensing event when the provider causes the dispenser to dispense cleanser; and

displaying a number of dispensing events and a number of entrance events on a display of the reader.

23. A method as described in claim 22 wherein the displaying step includes the step of displaying on the display a ratio of the number of dispensing events and the number of entrance events.

24. A method as described in claim 23 wherein the displaying step includes the step of displaying the ratio, the number of entrance events, and the number of dispensing events simultaneously.

25. A method as described in claim 24 including the step of controlling a lock of the reader by the provider to control access to the number of dispensing events, the number of entrance events and the ratio recorded by the reader.

26. A method as described in claim 25 including the step of resetting the number of dispensing events, the number of entrance events and the ratio to zero after a predetermined time.

27. A method as described in claim 26 including the step of interrogating electronically the memory externally.

28. A method as described in claim 27 including the steps of entering the reader into an enabled state when either an entrance event or a dispensing event occurs, entering the reader into an activated state when the reader is in the enabled state and an entrance event or a dispensing event occurs, and entering the reader into a finalized state when the reader is in an activated state and a dispensing event occurs.

29. A method as described in claim 28 including the step of entering the dispenser trigger into an enabled position as a result of, and dependent upon, the reader entering the enabled state; and entering the dispenser trigger into the activated position when a dispensing event occurs with the dispenser.

30. A method as described in claim 29 including the step of transmitting by the dispenser trigger a key each time the dispenser has a dispensing event associated with the reader of the provider initiating dispensing event.

31. A system which allows a person to monitor hand hygiene compliance comprising:

a data reader adapted to be worn by the person;

a portal trigger disposed at each door portal of a bathroom which activates the reader to record an entrance event when the provider enters the bathroom; and

a dispenser trigger disposed at each cleaning dispenser having cleanser in the bathroom which activates the reader to record a dispensing event when the provider causes the dispenser to dispense cleanser, the reader having a display which displays a number of dispensing events and a number of entrance events.

32. A system as described in claim 31 wherein there can only be at most one dispensing event associated with one entrance event.

33. A method for allowing a person to monitor hand hygiene compliance comprising the steps of:

activating a data reader worn by the person by a portal trigger disposed at each door portal of a bathroom and recording an entrance event when the person enters the bathroom;

activating the reader by a dispenser trigger disposed at each cleaning dispenser having cleanser in the bathroom and recording a dispensing event when the person causes the dispenser to dispense cleanser; and

displaying a number of dispensing events and a number of entrance events on a display of the reader.