The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust in Wolverhampton, U.K., installed a real-time locating system to monitor staff hand-hygiene efforts, using TeleTracking technology, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality website.
Workers wear an identification badge with a wireless receptor as part of their uniform, and additional sensors are located on hand gel and soap dispensers at the foot of each patient bed and on ward sinks. The sensors record when a healthcare worker with a badge enters and exits the room and also if they used the sanitizing dispenser or not after entering and before exiting, the article said.
The hospital installed the system in late 2013. Currently, more than 4,000 staff members have RTLS badges that track their hand hygiene compliance. In one month, the system tracked 1 million observations, compared to just 600 visual observations.
Since installing the system, the hospital has seen gradual improvement in compliance, and a focused effort on practice, according to the trust.
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