Hospital and Health System

Soap-Sniffing Technology Encourages Hand Washing to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections, Save Money

Using sensors capable of detecting drugs in breath, new technology developed at the University of Florida (UF) monitors healthcare workers’ hand hygiene by detecting sanitizer or soap fumes given off from their hands.

By reminding workers to clean their hands to remove disease-causing organisms such as the bacteria MRSA, the system could help reduce hospital-acquired infections and save millions of dollars now spent to treat them. HyGreen™ logs the frequency of hand cleaning and contact with patients in a database that clinical supervisors can review immediately. This is the first system that enables real-time monitoring of hand washing. HyGreen is being tested in the neuro intensive care unit at Shands at UF Medical Center. Developers anticipate that hospitals will readily accept the new system because not only can it help reduce infections, it will also pay for itself within a few months.

With the HyGreen system, the healthcare worker squirts sanitizer gel or soap into his or her hand before passing it under a wall-mounted sensor. A wireless signal from a badge worn by the worker activates a green light on the hand-washing sensor. When the worker enters a patient room, a monitor near the bed detects the status of the badge, and flashes green if the person has clean hands. If the person has not washed, or too much time has passed between washing and approaching the patient, the badge will give a gentle “reminder” vibration.

Six pathogens, including the ones known as MRSA and VRE, account for two-thirds of all hospital-acquired infections and are readily transmitted by hand. Studies have shown that up to half of all hospital-acquired infections might be prevented if healthcare workers washed their hands according to guidelines set forth by the CDC. It costs at least $30 billion a year in additional spending to treat hospital-acquired infections. CMS last year ruled that it would no longer reimburse hospitals for the expense of treating the infections.

Various studies show that healthcare workers wash their hands less than half the time after direct contact with patients. The reasons people give include skin irritation caused by hand hygiene products, a preference for gloves or simply failure to remember. Previous hand washing compliance studies have been based on observation of a limited number of people at a time, who likely improve their behavior when they know they are being watched — a phenomenon known as the Hawthorne effect.

Source: University of Florida, June 3, 2009