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Medical design: Robrady and Xhale's lifesaving HyGreen handwashing system

By Rain Noe - April 9, 2010

in Object Culture

An HAI is a nasty bit of business: That stands for Hospital Acquired Infection, and what's worse than going into a place of healing and picking up a new sickness?

Research from the Center for Disease Control shows that "hand washing is the single most important procedure for preventing infections, yet reports continue to indicate that healthcare worker adherence to hand washing guidelines are low." A design solution has come from a partnership between medical products company Xhale and design firm Robrady, who jointly developed the HyGreen Intelligent Hand Hygiene System, a simple system of three devices that ensures the doc remembers to wash his mitts.

First, the doc/nurse/orderly wears a HyGreen Badge device, which they can use to hang their regular ID badge off of. When they wash their hands at the HyGreen Handwash Station, sensors between the two devices communicate and the badge gets a green light confirming cleanliness; and it doesn't work just by proximity, the Handwash Station confirms that soap or cleaning gel has actually been dispensed.

Next, when the worker approaches a patient bed, the HyGreen Bed Monitor communicates with the badge to confirm the worker's hand hygiene status. If the hands are dirty, a vibrating reminder goes off.

The HyGreen system, which was just nominated for a 2010 Medical Design Excellence Award, is wireless and designed to install easily. Xhale estimates the device will not only save lives, but pay for itself by helping hospitals avoid the extra costs associated with HAIs.

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Leo

14 years ago

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Very interesting concept. With some minor tweaking this device can also be used in other settings such as restaurant kitchens (as Peter pointed out above), schools, manufacturing facilities, office cafeteria, etc.
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Steve

14 years ago

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This looks like an effective reminder system. Although from my experience non-adherence to hand washing policies stems from avoidance not forgetfulness. Consider the effects of thoroughly washing your hands 20-30 times a day, everyday, for the rest of your career. The painful cracking hands need to be designed out of the system.
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Peter Kelly

14 years ago

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These should be mandatory in NYC restaurant kitchens.
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