Desenvolvimento de um dispositivo inteligente para o monitoramento da higienização das mãos
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Abstract
The main objective of this academic work was to develop an intelligent and low-cost device capable of continuously monitoring and encouraging proper hand hygiene practices, aiming to reduce the incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infections in hospital settings. Although a comprehensive evaluation of the prototype’s effectiveness in increasing hand hygiene adherence among healthcare professionals, particularly considering the Hawthorne effect (where individuals tend to improve their behavior when observed), is planned for future work, existing literature suggests significant potential for behavioral improvement when individuals are aware of being monitored, comparative analysis with other available solutions indicated that the developed device offers a favorable cost-benefit ratio, ease of implementation, and low maintenance requirements. The result was a fully functional prototype that validated the proposed concept through bench tests. It was confirmed that the system successfully performs its intended operational cycle: the visual alert is triggered on the Wearable Module after a preset time and is deactivated upon receiving a confirmation signal from the Fixed Module. The main contribution of this work is the validation of a monitoring architecture that is both functionally effective and economically viable. The proposed intelligent device can serve as a valuable tool for preventing hospital-acquired infections and contributing to patient safety and healthcare efficiency. Moreover, the solution is both functionally effective and economically viable. Despite being limited to a proof-of-concept, the project highlights the potential of Control and Automation Engineering to deliver pragmatic, low-cost technological solutions to critical public health challenges. Future work may explore the integration of the device with Internet of Things (IoT) systems for real-time monitoring and its application in environments beyond hospitals.
