GermZAPP, pioneered by Athela, LLC, offers a revolutionary approach to robust infection control through an innovative, cost-effective hand hygiene system. This system promises to significantly impact infection control in a variety of environments from schools, nursing homes, to healthcare settings. Through an exclusive interview with Infection Control Today®, Athela LLC’s owner and founder, Lisa Broyden, explores the unique capabilities and potential applications of this groundbreaking product.
As a clinical occupational therapist with a deep personal connection to infection prevention, Broyden emphasizes the urgent necessity for scalable, affordable solutions geared towards environments where conventional, expensive systems are less feasible. GermZAPP offers more than just real-time monitoring. This technologically advanced system drives user education, adherence tracking, and promotes better hygiene habits by incorporating gamification elements.
The motivation behind developing GermZAPP was to extend effective infection control to spaces such as nursing homes, schools, and other settings where pathogens can spread rapidly resulting in significant risks. The system was conceived as a budget-friendly alternative for facilities unable to afford multimillion-dollar setups yet, its benefits outweigh its cost.
Current infection control methods pose significant challenges, including high costs, reliability issues, and manually intensive processes. GermZAPP addresses these challenges through its patented design that not only educates users on effective handwashing techniques recommended by the CDC but also uses proximity sensors and individual wireless IDs to track handwashing quality and time adherence, thereby providing real-time feedback.
The uniqueness of GermZAPP lies in its low-cost automated solution, education-centric design, and habit development focus. This makes it a valuable tool for schools, healthcare, and restaurant spaces, large venues, and even the cruise industry, where promoting hygiene and minimizing disease spread is vital.
The effectiveness of GermZAPP is validated by a series of pilot studies conducted in various school settings involving 450 students that reported an impressive increase in proper hand hygiene practices from just 8% to 52%. Additionally, the product, which was awarded U.S. Patent Number 11,436,910 in September 2022, is purchasable and presents a scalable solution to revolutionize hygiene adherence across various industries.