Each year, an estimated two million hospital-acquired infections add billions of dollars to the cost of health care. Now, a new system that keeps track of who has (and has not) washed their hands could help stop the spread of many in-hospital infections.
Called HyGreen, the device detects the presence of alcohol-based sanitizers on a clinician’s hands and sends a wireless signal to a badge worn on their pocket, indicating that their hands are clean. At the patient’s bedside, a monitor checks for the “all clean” signal and causes the badge to vibrate if it’s absent, reminding the wearer to wash up.
In a five-month field test, infection rates at one hospital dropped to zero.
For information: www.gohygreen.com
Tags: Clean Hands, hand washing, Health care, hospital infection rates, HyGreen
