Busting Docs Who Don't Wash Their Hands

Here’s an interesting method of combating the hand-hygiene problem discussed at length in SuperFreakonomics: “A doctor enters a hospital room to examine a patient, but neglects to wash her hands. A special badge on her lab coat turns a deep shade of red as wireless computer components in the door, the soap dispenser and near the bed immediately relay information about the unwashed hands.?The doctor is busted.” The system is part of an upcoming pilot program at the UMass Medical School, spearheaded by Elke Rundensteiner, a computer science professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “It can track things in real time, and those things can easily be fixed – they can wash their hands,” says Rundensteiner. (HT: Eric M. Jones) [%comments]