Proventix Systems, a hand hygiene compliance monitoring company, announced a deal with machine-to-machine wireless vendor Synapse Wireless to add wireless connectivity to Proventix's nGage system, which aims to fight the spread of healthcare acquired infections (HAIs).

The Proventix nGage system monitors hand hygiene compliance 24 hours a day, 7 days week, according to the company. Here's how it works: Healthcare workers wear ZigBee-enabled badges that are uniquely recognized by control units at soap dispensers throughout the hospital. When the worker enters a room or area where there is a wall-mounted control unit, they are recognized and, upon the completion of a quality hand hygiene event, they can be given important, patient-specific information such as the patient is at risk for a fall, general employee information, or employee-specific information such as stock market reports or baseball scores.

MobiHealthNews last mentioned Proventix's nGage system in our special issue on 9 Mobile Health Hospitals. Proventix worked with a medical center in Birmingham, Alabama, Princeton Baptist to pilot the system. (Read more on 9 Mobile Health Hospitals here.)

Proventix cites the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in its press release: HAIs contribute $28 billion to $33 billion in excess healthcare costs each year. About 90,000 people a year die from contracting infectious diseases in hospitals. According to the CDC, an estimated 1.7 million people will be affected by HAIs due to hospital stays in the United States each year.

For more on nGage and Proventix's partnership with Synapse Wireless, read the release here.