Challenge call for corporate and R&D response to COVID19 health crisis in Serbia

Disinfection

Title:

Automated monitoring of hand disinfection

Short description:

Development and implementation of a prototype of an automated system for monitoring hand hygiene in health care institutions, in order to protect medical workers and patients from the transmission of Covid-19.

Author:

Mikro Kontrol doo

Requested Budget:

35.000 USD (co-funding ensured)

Time frame:

4 months
Problem: The main type of counter-action to the transmission of COVID-19 infection, besides physical distancing, is the hand hygiene with disinfectants based on alcohol and soap. The current crisis has shown the need for better monitoring of hand hygiene in healthcare institutions, given the great number of infected medical staff. Some researches show that the compliance with the procedure of hand disinfection throughout the world is around 50%, making the improvement of hand hygiene an important step in preventing infectious diseases.
Solution: This solution uses the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to automatically monitor hand disinfection of medical workers through an algorithm. The basis for the development of the algorithm are scenarios that prevent the transmission of infection, relaying on key moments in the behavior of medical staff in patient care and registration of hand hygiene actions - registration of medical worker, frequency and the place of action. For example, when a medical worker with a sensor badge enters a room in front of which there is a disinfectant dispenser, which also has a sensor on it, the program uses a signal from both sensors to detect whether the same person used the dispenser when entering or not. Also, the same room has a disinfectant dispenser with a sensor, which the medical worker activates every time before and after the patient's care. The use of a dispenser at the exit of the room also identifies the disinfection of the hands of the medical worker when leaving the room. Data from all sensors are wirelessly sent to the database, where the analytical program processes the history of actions, ie. the compliance of the use of dispensers with disinfectant with the given protocol of hand hygiene of employees in the institution. This technology of precise monitoring of hand disinfection aims to motivate medical workers to comply more closely with hand hygiene protocols, raise the health culture to a higher level and thus reduce the possibility of transmitting nosocomial infections. The company plans to intervene in a certain health institution on a defined group of health workers, who ordinate in the selected area, with an already established procedure for maintaining hand hygiene.
Additional info: This idea involves implementing a global technology on the local market. While IoMT has existed in USA for longer than 5 years, it has still not been implemented in Serbia and the region. Its impact would be seen through better monitoring in hospital settings, and its relevance goes beyond the current pandemic. The implementation of this solution would depend on the level of standardization of related practices in Serbian health institutions.