Arjo, a global medical device company, announced it has entered into a distributor agreement with Vitalacy, a Los Angeles health and hygiene technology company, to offer its IoT enabled sensors and wearables to customers. The solution aims at improving quality of care and patient safety with automated monitoring of hand hygiene, workflow efficiency and contact tracing.
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“We are excited to partner with Vitalacy in order to continue driving healthier outcomes within healthcare. An infection control solution such as Vitalacy, can have a positive impact in healthcare. We are looking forward to adding infection control to our portfolio,” said Anne Sigoun, North American President at Arjo. “This agreement with Vitalacy enables our team to provide top solutions that help prevent injuries and infections as well as optimize care for people facing mobility challenges.”
1 in 25 patients will suffer from a healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) – 70% of which are caused by poor hand hygiene. The WHO states, “hand hygiene is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus.”
Hospital staff wear Vitalacy Smartbands to monitor hand hygiene behavior such as compliance and wash duration. The wearable Bluetooth device reminds staff to wash at point-of-care if they forget and to wash longer if the wash is too short. The CDC recommends that everyone wash hands often with soap and water or sanitizer of at least 60% alcohol if soap is not available for at least 20 seconds, says a press release.
In addition, the platform monitors workflow in near real-time allowing healthcare enterprises to monitor rounding, caregiver fatigue and contact tracing. These innovative measures decrease infection risk and improve patient experience.
“Adding Vitalacy's automated solution to Arjo's current medical device portfolio empowers our mutual mission to improve the lives of patients,” says Janel Nour-Omid, CEO and Cofounder of Vitalacy. Nour-Omid was recently named in Forbes' 2020 List of 30 Under 30 in Healthcare and has lost several family members to HAIs. “We see Arjo not just as a growth partner but an advisor in healthcare safety and efficiency. Already we have seen a 30% reduction in client installation time. No other company has the expertise in process, procedures and equipment to ensure healthcare staff can deliver the best care to their patients.”
