Using gesture recognition system for hand hygiene training

Team Members :  Caroline Mosley, Catriona Bell, John Mosley, Kay Aitchison, Susan Rhind

Abstract

Background: Infection control in veterinary medicine is of crucial importance to animals and man. Patient-to patient transmission as well as patient-to-person, and person-to-patient transmission can have serious consequences for the running of a veterinary hospital and to the individuals and patients involved. Patient transmitted disease within the hospital environment can have a significant impact on future business, relationships with pet owners, and on the reputation of the people and practice involved.

Aims: Hand hygiene is a core and basic skill that features at the top of the list of educational interventions to deal with the problem, and as such we have endeavoured to promote hand hygiene throughout the whole of the veterinary undergraduate training programme for a number of years. Despite teaching and assessing hand hygiene at multiple points within the BVM&S curriculum, we have found that retention of this basic skill set is disappointingly low.

Methodology: This study will use an innovative gesture recognition system (Surewash) to identify what motivates students to carry out independent or self-directed study, and by analyzing the data held in the system will identify which specific steps in the hand hygiene procedure they found to be difficult. Results will then be correlated with student performance in existing hand hygiene practical assessments within the BVM&S curriculum. We will then create the role of ‘Student Infection Control Ambassador’ across the curriculum, employ the technology for all 700 BVM&S students and evaluate the intervention quantitatively and qualitatively.

Final Project Report

The final project report may be downloaded here.

Other Project Outcomes

• Mosley C et al (June, 2016)   Conference Poster at   VMED Symposium,  Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (link to attached pdf)