Xhale Innovations Receives Patent for Handwashing Compliance Detection System

Dr. Richard Melker, chief technology officer for Xhale Innovations (XI), along with co-inventors Dr. Donn Dennis, chief science officer for XI, and Drs. Christopher Batich and Nikolaus Gravenstein from the University of Florida, have been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,755494, Hand Washing Compliance Detection. This technology is the basis for the HyGreen® Intelligent Hand Hygiene System. HyGreen is a real-time hand hygiene system that actively reminds healthcare workers to wash their hands while recording all handwashing events in the hospital environment.

According to Melker, this patent describes a new method of using chemical sensors to detect hand hygiene products, like soaps and gels containing alcohol, on the hands of healthcare workers immediately after they are applied. This new patent covers several important functionalities that are merged together into a complete system that is easy to use. It is the first of several patent applications we have filed on this technology. With more than 1.7 million people contracting healthcare-associated infections each year and with more than half of those infections caused by the lack of handwashing by healthcare workers, its easy to understand the need for hand hygiene compliance and why HyGreen® is so important.

The HyGreen® Hand Hygiene System reminds healthcare workers to wash their hands and records all handwashing events and patient-staff interactions in the hospital.

For more information, visit the XI HyGreen web site at www.gohygreen.com