BioVigil Improves Hand Hygiene with Monitoring System

In a new study conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, BioVigil technology demonstrated a dramatic improvement in hand sanitizer usage among healthcare workers. The research was published in the Journal of Hospital Infection.

Handwashing compliance improved from a baseline of 73 percent to 93 percent within the first day of implementation of the BioVigil system. More than half of the nurses involved with the trial exceeded 95 percent hand-cleaning compliance during the study period.

"Healthcare workers are expected to clean their hands before and after every patient contact," says Brian Sheahan, CEO of BioVigil LLC. "Our system monitors the usage of alcohol-based hand sanitizer every time a healthcare worker enters or exits a patient's hospital room. Even the best hospitals today have very crude, visual or manual methods to monitor handwashing compliance, and as a result the compliance numbers reported to the state are estimates at best. The BioVigil system can electronically monitor every handwashing opportunity, and the badge lights up with a green or a red LED so that hospital staff, patients, and patient families can track the hygiene level of each worker. The data is compiled statistically in a secure online real-time database for easy and accurate reporting."

"The BioVigil system quickly created a change in the culture of our staff," says Michael Edmond, MD, the principal author of the study and the division chair for infectious diseases at VCU Medical Center. "Nurses at VCU Medical Center learned very quickly to use the system, and the system enabled a very positive atmosphere, with the green badge LEDs reinforcing good hand-cleaning habits. To our knowledge, the result was the highest level of compliance ever reported."

For more information, visit www.biovigil.org.

Reference: Edmond MB, et al., Successful use of alcohol sensor technology to monitor and report hand hygiene compliance, Journal of Hospital Infection (2010), doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2010.07.006.