It's a Dirty Job, But RFID Can Do It
It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it
We all know how important hand-washing is, especially in a restaurant or hospital environment. Patients in hospitals receive over one million infections in the hospital while being treated for something else, according to the CDC. Proper, frequent hand-washing helps to stop the spread of infection, but how can hand-washing compliance be monitored? Are those “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work” signs actually effective?
People in the RFID industry will tell you, “If you have a problem, RFID can solve it.” As it turns out, RFID has solved the problem of hand-washing compliance.
The new RFID powered, Wyze-Wash(TM) monitoring system by Matrix Product Development accurately determines if soap dispensers are being used by personnel. The easy to use system reports soap levels in dispensers or low battery levels. The monitoring aids in compliance with health regulations, monitors usage by wing, floor or building designation.
The 2.4GHz wireless modules are hospital and clinic friendly. All the devices can be interfaced to automatic foaming dispensers and disposable pump bottles.
The Wyze-Wash monitoring system can be integrated with a Real Time Location System (RTLS) to generate reports showing who cleans their hands upon entering and exiting a room.
Company president, Ron Pulvermacher says, “The system helps to lower infection rates, by complying to hygiene standards. The easy installation of WI-FI or Zigbee enabled devices makes it ideal for any healthcare environment.”
Just imagine the positive impact of implementing this system into hospitals nationwide. If everyone in a hospital washed their hands as often as they should, the spread of infection would plummet. Because RFID can be used to monitor who is doing what and when, people who don't understand RFID technology often fear it, citing “Big Brother.” However, once educated about the technology, it is easy to see that it is not “Big Brother” at all. It is merely an effective way to improve business processes, making everyone's life easier or in the case of the Wyze-Wash system—making everyone's life safer.
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The Point of Sale News, an online magazine dedicated to the retail industry.
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