Validated healthcare cleaning and sanitizing practices
Inventors
Swart, Sally K. • Meek, Ryan D. • Thompson, Kirsten M. • Johnston, Kimberly Severin • Carbone, II, Henry L. • Lyon, Scott P. • Bucholz, John R.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-8990098-B2
Publication Date
2015-03-24
Expiration Date
Abstract
A validated healthcare facility cleaning and sanitizing system provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to cleaning and sanitizing practices at a hospital or other healthcare facility. The validated hospital cleaning system identifies hospital vectors of contamination; that is, sources through which hospital acquired infections (HAIs) may be spread. The validated system defines a plurality of modules within a healthcare facility, each having an associated cleaning process map designed to meet the particular cleaning and/or sanitizing needs and challenges faced by that module. Various stages of the cleaning process map include validation points, at which certain parameters designed to ensure proper cleaning and/or sanitizing of the module are verified.
Core Innovation
A validated hospital cleaning processing system receives collected data from a healthcare facility based on monitored validation points within a plurality of cleaning process maps. Each cleaning process map corresponds to a different module within the healthcare facility and defines housekeeping procedures associated with the corresponding module. A server computer receives the collected data and an analysis application analyzes the collected data to generate validation data indicative of adherence to the housekeeping procedures within the healthcare facility.
The system stores the collected data in a database in association with hospital data that uniquely identifies the healthcare facility, and stores module data that defines each of the plurality of modules within the healthcare facility. The database also stores the plurality of cleaning process maps in association with the corresponding module data.
Each cleaning process map further includes a storage process and a validation process. The storage process defines storage conditions for cleaning products, tools, and textiles, and the validation process defines one or more validation points indicative of cleanliness of the associated module, a monitoring procedure for each validation point, and corrective action if one or more validation points are not satisfied. A reporting application generates reports that characterize the cleanliness of the healthcare facility based on the collected data, the validation data, the hospital data, and the module data.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims are clm-00001, clm-00016, and clm-00028. They focus on an organized mapping of healthcare-facility modules to cleaning process maps, receiving and storing monitored validation-point data, analyzing the collected data to generate validation data, and generating reports characterizing cleanliness or adherence.
Validated hospital cleaning processing system with module-based cleaning process maps
A system comprising a server computer that receives collected data from a healthcare facility based on monitored validation points within a plurality of cleaning process maps, each cleaning process map corresponding to a different module and defining housekeeping procedures associated with the corresponding module.
Database storing hospital, module, and cleaning process map data tied to validation
A database coupled to the server computer that stores the collected data in association with hospital data uniquely identifying the healthcare facility, stores module data defining modules within the healthcare facility, and stores the plurality of cleaning process maps in association with the corresponding module data.
Analysis application generating validation data indicative of adherence
An analysis application resident on the server computer that analyzes the collected data and generates validation data indicative of adherence to the housekeeping procedures within the healthcare facility.
Reporting application characterizing cleanliness from collected and validation data
A reporting application resident on the server computer that generates reports characterizing the cleanliness of the healthcare facility based on the collected data, the validation data, the hospital data, and the module data.
Storage and validation processes in each cleaning process map
Each cleaning process map includes a storage process that defines storage conditions for cleaning products, tools, and textiles, and a validation process that defines validation points, monitoring procedures, and corrective action if validation points are not satisfied.
Across the independent claims, the claims focus on mapping healthcare-facility modules to cleaning process maps, storing module and hospital data with collected validation-point data, generating validation data indicative of adherence to housekeeping procedures, and reporting cleanliness based on those data.
Stated Advantages
Improved cleanliness characterization of the healthcare facility based on collected data and validation data.
Validation data indicative of adherence to housekeeping procedures within the healthcare facility.
Reports that characterize cleanliness or adherence based on collected data, validation data, hospital data, and module data.
Corrective action in the event that one or more validation points are not satisfied.
Documented Applications
Monitoring and validation of housekeeping procedures in a healthcare facility by characterizing cleanliness of healthcare-facility modules based on collected data and generated validation data.
Generating reports for cleanliness outcomes and benchmarking or trending over time.
Healthcare cleaning and sanitizing system operation with module examples such as patient room and bathroom.
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