During the times of pandemic we live in, we all have to go back to the basics to prevent the spread of viruses and germs. To wash your hands with soap and water may seem basic, but it actually does work. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends hand washing as one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick.
During a busy shift, especially in a hospital, nursing home, or restaurant, it is easy to lose track of your hand hygiene routine. The new Sanibit wrist band has been developed initially to reduce the spread of Health Associated Infections and keep track of the staff hand sanitizing routines.
Health Associated Infections (HAI) are secondary infections that will occur in hospitals or long-term care facilities. It is estimated that every year approximately 722,000 HAIs occur in U.S. acute care hospitals, and 1.6 to 3.8 million HAIs occur in long-term care facilities. More than 400,000 people die from HAI, which represents $20 billion in annual health care costs. Using hand sanitizers with an alcoholic content of at least 60 % can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands and the spread of germs.
Hand washing to save lives
The company Microsensor Labs developed a connected wristband called Sanibit to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. A wall mount sensor is installed in all of the rooms of the patients. Once the healthcare provider gets into the room, the wristband will detect if hand hygiene has been properly done by showing a greet notification.
The data are uploaded directly to the operator’s cloud and are shared with the infection control team. One of the key positive points of this solution is that the wrist band is unobtrusive and comes with insightful software. Data can also be shared with the users to help them realize that they may sometimes forget to properly clean their hands. Letting users be aware of their behavior is the best way actually to elicit a change.
The company has its headquarters in Chicago, IL, and runs its operations in Louisville, KY. The Louisville Hospital 8 West Surgical ICU has fully implemented the Sanibit solution. Numerous health care facilities are interested in this solution that we think is a first step in the right direction for proper infection control and hand washing routines.
Sanibit for nursing homes
To control the covid-19 pandemic in nursing homes and eldercare facilities, the CDC recommends the regular use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. A recent study from Hammerschmidt and Manser showed that hand hygiene compliance was very dependent on proper and easy access to hands cleaning stations.
According to the CDC, hand hygiene is an important part of the U.S. response to Covid-19. Soap and water, antibacterial soaps are part of the infection control response.
Sanibit for restaurants
The CDC reopening guidelines insist on setting up a handwashing policy for the staff of restaurants. Employees are encouraged to practice a “no bare hand policy” to wear gloves and wash their hands regularly.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends to:
- Be healthy, be clean
- Clean & Disinfect
- Social distance
- Pick-up & delivery
The Sanibit hand washing solution is, in our opinion, a straightforward and easy technique to keep track of the staff’s hygiene habits, whether it be in hospitals, nursing homes, or restaurants. There is no doubt that these types of easy-to-implement initiatives will flourish soon and will be effective at killing germs and changing our infection control habits.
