If your facility uses Kontakt.io Hand Hygiene, you've been given a Smart Badge 3 to wear during your shift. Here's what you need to know about wearing your badge and how the system works around you. For what's the same for every badge model, see About Hand Hygiene for nurses and badge wearers.
Hand Hygiene works with your badge to find hand hygiene opportunities and dispenser use during your normal workflow, without adding extra work to your day.
Why you wear the badge
It works quietly in the background while you care for patients.
- It helps identify hand hygiene opportunities and dispense events.
- It supports patient care by helping teams improve hand hygiene together.
- It reflects normal workflows, not judgment or intent.
What the badge does not do
- Does not record audio or video.
- Does not work outside your organization's Kontakt.io coverage areas, at home or offsite.
- Does not judge how well you sanitize your hands.
- Does not replace clinical judgment.
How the system works
The system uses location, timing, and dispenser use to measure compliance. There's nothing new to document: wear your badge and follow your hospital's hand hygiene practices as usual.
| Enter a patient room. An opportunity is created when you stay past your hospital's minimum visit time. Brief moments may not count. | |
| Use a dispenser. Each dispense is detected automatically: a wash-in when you enter and a wash-out when you leave, inside or outside the room. | |
| The signals are connected. Your location, the opportunity, and the dispense are linked within the valid wash-in and wash-out window. | |
| Each opportunity is scored. Full: a dispense on entry and exit. Partial: one dispense. Zero: none detected. |
What counts, and what doesn't
- An opportunity is created when you enter and stay in a patient room past the minimum visit time.
- Sanitizing in the corridor just before you walk in, or just after you leave, still counts. There's a time window on each side, so you don't have to use a specific dispenser at the doorway.
- May not count: standing in a doorway without entering, walking past a room, or sanitizing when no opportunity exists. That's expected: the system reflects real patient care activity.
Keep the IR sensor (black corner) visible
The black corner of your Smart Badge 3 is the IR sensor. Wear the badge so it stays visible.
Good vs. bad, at a glance
| Good: IR sensor visible. Worn on the outside of clothing. | Good: clear of items. Nothing covering the badge. |
| Bad: in a pocket. IR sensor covered. | Bad: under a jacket. Badge hidden by clothing. |
Key takeaways
- Wear your badge visibly and consistently while on shift.
- Follow your unit's standard hand hygiene practices. Practices can vary by unit, based on patient care, infection prevention policies, and local procedures.
Common questions
Q: Do I need to turn it on? A: No. Your badge was powered on when it was assigned to you, and it can't be switched off.
Q: Do I need to charge it? How long does the battery last? A: There's nothing to charge. The battery lasts up to about four years. The Kontakt.io platform monitors battery levels and flags your badge when it's near the end of its life, and you'll be given a replacement.
Q: Can I wear it in an MRI or scanner room? A: No. Remove your badge before entering any MRI-controlled area or scanner room. Its electronic components aren't MRI-safe.
Q: Can I wear it if I have a pacemaker? A: Yes, with care in where you wear it: keep it at least 6 in (15 cm) from your pacemaker, not directly over it or on the same side. Always follow your device maker's guidance.
Q: Can wearing a badge cause cancer? A: Smart Badge models use Bluetooth Low Energy at very low power (-4 dBm), far below the Wi-Fi routers and phones you're near all day on the same frequencies. There's no scientific evidence that low-power Bluetooth Low Energy causes cancer, and Kontakt.io devices are FCC-certified within the safe limits set by the FCC, WHO, and ICNIRP.
Q: What if my badge is damaged or lost? A: Tell your supervisor or Kio administrator. They'll replace it without losing your profile or your compliance history.
Q: What if I sanitize in the corridor, not at the door? A: It can still count. The system credits dispenses within a set time window before you enter and after you leave the patient room.
Q: Does this replace our hand hygiene policy? A: No. It's a measurement and improvement tool. Your facility's policy and infection prevention protocols still govern your practice.
Q: What if I forget my badge at home? A: Your hand hygiene for that shift won't be recorded. Let your manager know, and wear your badge every shift so your hand hygiene is recorded.
Need help?
For anything about your badge, your Kio administrator is the fastest path, or visit support.kontakt.io.