New RFID System Helps Hospitals Monitor Hand Hygiene Compliance

Most patients who check into a hospital don’t anticipate contracting an infection during their stay. But according to the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, approximately two million patients suffer from hospital-acquired infections each year—and nearly 80,000 of those patients die. Why are these numbers so high? Because, disturbingly, health care personnel wash their hands less than 50 percent of the time. Now, a new RFID system could significantly increase Hand Hygiene Compliance in health care institutions—and save lives in the process.

The RFID Hand Hygiene Compliance solution includes Infrared (IR) and RFID badges for health care personnel to wear. The tiny, lightweight badges communicate with similar IR-RFID tags affixed to automatic soap dispensers in restrooms. When a badged staff member approaches a soap dispenser, the tag on the dispenser reads the badge and records the staff member’s name, the particular hand washing station, and the date and time. When the staff member washes his or her hands, the RFID system gives an audible acknowledgement of the event. The IR-RFID system is based on highly accurate, real-time location (RTLS) technology, and provides hospitals with a way to monitor and further educate underperforming units or shifts.

Without the RFID solution, hand hygiene audits are conducted by observation—with limited results. According to the Joint Commission, observation audits catch only 0.12% of hand washing opportunities. With the new RFID solution, hospitals will be better able to enforce hand hygiene compliance and protect patients from acquiring preventable infections.