SPARKLING CLEAN: Hospitals have fretted for years over how to make sure doctors and nurses wash their hands, but with only limited success. Now, some are turning to technology that reminds workers to sanitize, and chart those who don't.
FOR EXAMPLE: A Missouri hospital is testing a Biovigil Inc. system featuring a flashing light on a badge that turns green when hands are clean, or red if they're not. It also tracks each hand-cleaning opportunity — the successes and the failures.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: Health experts say poor hand cleanliness is a factor in hospital-borne infections that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.