Go Klean: Revolutionizing Healthcare Professionals Hand Sanitation

Kathryn  Kukla,  Ben  MacDonald,  Jessica  Santana,  Teja  Shah,  Chris  Shellhamer,  Jocelyn  Zhao  
Biomedical  Engineering    Department    
Executive Summary Carnegie  Mellon  University   Estimation of Product Costs
Hospital acquired infections are the cause of thousands Design Specifications Estimated costs of materials are provided in the table
of deaths every year in the United States alone. Hand below. Raw material costs are based on bulk
washing has been proven to be the way to reduce GoKlean incorporates a reminding mechanism. When materials available in the U.S. and labor overseas.
hospital acquired infections, but adherence is variable. the user comes to close contact with the door of a This estimate of $28.64 per unit is an overestimate.
We are developing GoKlean, which uses RFID patient’s room, GoKlean checks whether the user has Part Device Cost ($)
technology embedded with in a small ID card to identify washed his hands in the past 30 seconds. If the user LEDs 0.12

and record hand sanitation. In addition, GoKlean has not done so, GoKlean would vibrate for 3 Resistors 0.12
Wire .05
engages the user by providing instantaneous feedback seconds to remind the user to wash his hands. If the
Diode .04
through a color coded lighting system and a vibrating user has washed his hands right before entering the Transistor .05
motor which functions to remind the user to wash his or room, the vibration device will not be triggered. After Motor 2.50
her hands. This will help to minimize the spread of reminding the user, GoKlean gives the user the next PCB 4.00
infections to both patients and medical professionals. 30 seconds to complete a successful hand wash. See Battery (AA) 0.60
Flowchart A. ICs 3.00
Plastic (PE) (for case) 0.10
Problem & Clinical Need Ideal Finalized Prototype RFID reader (IC) 8.06
SD card slot/shield 10.00
Each year there are an estimated 1.7 million hospital Total Cost 28.64
GoKlean is designed to record and save hand washing data on a micro
acquired infections, leading to an estimated $6 billion of SD card as a comma-separated values (CSV) file, which can be
health care costs each year. Although the hand transferred easily to SQL database to be examined later. GoKlean Regulatory Pathway
sanitation policies for most hospitals is to sanitize when records the total number of hand washes performed by each individual,
entering and exiting a patient’s environment, according the type of sanitation used, the number of times the individual washed This is a compliance and monitoring system that will
to 2003 CDC data, only 48% of physicians report their hands after vibration goes off, and the number of times the never interact with a patient or put the user in harm's
actually complying to these policies. vibration device is activated. This data can be easily assessed and way. As a result, this system does not need FDA
analyzed using Excel, MATLAB, SQL, and other software. approval and is not subjected to any regulations. The
Market only impediment to implementation is the cost. As
The software is successfully developed on the arduino board to most medical centers are non-profit and normally run
The customers for our device would be hospitals and actively engage the users in hand sanitation practices. When the user by a director and board of trustees, this governing
hospital administrators, while the end users would be comes in contact with a recognized hand washing station, GoKlean body would have to approve its implementation and
the doctors and nurses wearing our device. Despite Flowchart A. Use cases for GoKlean reminding mechanism switches from the red to the yellow led, signaling the user that GoKlean budget accordingly.
what appears to be a high cost to the hospitals, this is engaged and he should be washing his hands. When hand washing
device should reduce the incidence of hospital acquired is successfully performed, determined by the required length of Acknowledgements
infections and thus reduce the cost of this to the duration of the hand wash device, GoKlean lights up the green led to
hospital. GoKlean will not only have an effect upon notify the user. Otherwise, the light will turn back to red indicating an We would like to thank Professor Conrad Zapanta,
thousands of hospital employees that will use the unsuccessful hand wash. See Flowchart B. Professor James Antaki, and the course TAs for their
device on a daily basis but also the three million people guidance and support throughout the year.
that visit hospitals each year.
We would also like to give special thanks for Dr.
DiGioia for providing his expertise.
Novelty
References
GoKlean keeps hand sanitation a priority. This is done  
via the color coded LED lights and reminding "RID:   The   Cost   of   InfecGon."   RID:   Commi*ee   to   Reduce   Infec2on   Deaths.   Web.   13  
Dec.  2011.  <hPp://[Link]/cost_of_infecGon.shtml>.  
mechanism. This device provides real-time alerts to the "CDC   -­‐   Hand   Hygiene   in   Healthcare   SeWngs."   Centers   for   Disease   Control   and  
user signaling when they have spent the proper amount Preven2on.  Web.  9  Oct.  2011.  <hPp://[Link]/handhygiene/>.  
"Disinfectant  &  Anitmicrobial  Chemicals  to  2013  -­‐  Market  Research,  Market  Share,  
of time sanitizing their hands. In addition, this device Market   Size,   Sales,   Demand   Forecast,   Market   Leaders,   Company   Profiles,   Industry  
provides a counting and tracking system using RFID Trends."  Freedonia.  2011.  Web.  13  Dec.  2011.  <hPp://[Link]>.  
technology in order to hold the user accountable. Graves,   Nicholas.   "Economics   and   PrevenGng   Hospital-­‐Acquired   InfecGon."  
Emerging   Infec2ous   Diseases   10.4   (2004):   561-­‐66.   Web.   13   Dec.   2011.  
Flowchart B. Use cases for GoKlean LED indications <[Link]/eid>.  

Figure 1. Schematic of GoKlean Prototype