Revolutionary hand hygiene: Rostock clinic relies on digital smiley monitoring!

Revolutionary hand hygiene: Rostock clinic relies on digital smiley monitoring!

In a groundbreaking step to improve hand hygiene, the Rostock University Medical Center introduced an innovative system with the “DISH-O-KLIN” project. A disinfectant donor via Bluetooth registers the use by the staff. On their electronic name tags, the employees can read the number of their hand disinfections carried out-and the whole thing is visualized by a built-up "clean-miley". This technology should not only increase hygiene, but also raise awareness of the need for regular disinfection.

The pilot project, which was started in mid -2023 and is scheduled to run by 2026, aims to prevent the transfer of hospital germs. Shocking statistics show that in Germany between 400,000 and 600,000 nosocomial infections occur annually, which are favored by improper hand hygiene. These infections lead to thousands of deaths and cause considerable healthcare costs - an average of 11,000 euros per case. The new system builds on the already established project Helicoph, which in the past successfully contributed to reducing the number of infection.

technology meets hygiene

As part of the DISH-O-Klin project, the clinic staff is automatically reminded of due disinfections, which should further increase compliance. The visibility of disinfection statistics should not only motivate the staff, but also give patients a feeling of security. "The visibility of disinfection status is important for personnel and patients to increase awareness of hand hygiene," explains Kirstin Werner from the University of Rostock. This future-oriented project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with several partners, including the Helios Hanseklinikum Stralsund and the University of Rostock.