Technology That Tracks Hand Washing Habits to Prevent C difficile Infection

Tamás Haidegger, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor at Óbuda University, interviewed with Contagion to discuss his research, “Evidence-Based Hand Hygiene in the Post-COVID World.”

Haidegger was one of the presenters on Thursday, November 4 at the 9th Annual International C. diff Conference & Health Expo.

For the past few years, Haidegger has been working with his team to develop the Semmelweiss Scanner, a technology that improves hand hygiene by identifying areas neglected during handwashing.

The scanner uses AI technology established on digital imaging to identify and quantify missed areas on the hands. It can eventually learn one’s handwashing habits and track the learning curve of hand hygiene. In a hospital setting, this data can be used to monitor certain physicians or wards in need of additional handwashing training.

Haidegger emphasized that hand sanitizer, omnipresent in the age of COVID-19, is not enough to combat C difficile infection. Getting rid of this stubborn bacteria requires washing and rubbing all areas of the hands, which Haidegger’s system can teach and encourage.

In addition to cofounding HandInScan, Haidegger is the director of the University Research and Innovation Center (EKIK), and the technical lead of medical robotics research at the Antal Bejczy Center for Intelligent Robotics.

Haidegger invited any hospital or institution that feels it could benefit from digitalized hand hygiene to reach out at www.HandInScan.com.