Updating health care protocols

• US 20040214148A1
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Salvino, Robert J., Nova, Richard C.
• Application Number:
  US10/818,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20040214148A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

The invention is directed to techniques for managing health care protocols with a medical device such as a defibrillator, patient monitor, trainer, or other device. In particular, the invention is directed to techniques for updating the health care protocols, which may involve the use of recorded storage media. The recorded storage medium may be connected to the medical device via an adapter, such as a disk drive. Alternatively, the data storage medium and a medical device battery may be included within the same device. In other implementations of the invention, the medical device receives an updated health care protocol from another medical device. The communication link between the medical devices may be configured in a number of ways. For example, medical devices may communicate health care protocols via a physical communication link, a wireless communication link, or a radio frequency communication link.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a communication link with a medical device;

receiving a first health care protocol from the medical device; and

updating a second health care protocol based on the first health care protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication link includes one of a wireless communication link.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device includes at least one of a defibrillator, a patient monitor, and a trainer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first health care protocol includes a training health care protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol includes a set of procedures for treating the patient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol includes at least one of timers, checklists, prompts, display modes, references and utilities.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the operator with a task to be performed pursuant to the second protocol; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the operator that the task has been performed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the second health care protocol comprises supplanting at least a part of the second health care protocol with a part of the first health care protocol.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a recorded storage medium;

receiving a first health care protocol from the recorded storage medium; and

updating a second health care protocol based on the first health care protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the recorded storage medium includes a battery.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the recorded storage medium includes a data card.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second health care protocol includes a training health care protocol.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the second protocol includes a set of procedures for treating the patient.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second protocol includes at least one of timers, checklists, prompts, display modes, references and utilities.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting the operator with a task to be performed pursuant to the second protocol; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the operator that the task has been performed.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the second health care protocol comprises supplanting at least a part of the second health care protocol with a part of the first health care protocol.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

establish a communication link with a medical device;

receive a first health care protocol from the medical device; and

update a second health care protocol based on the first health care protocol.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the communication link includes one of a wireless communication link.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the medical device includes at least one of a defibrillator, a patient monitor, and a trainer.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the first health care protocol includes a training health care protocol.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the second protocol includes a set of procedures for treating the patient.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the second protocol includes at least one of timers, checklists, prompts, display modes, references and utilities.

23. The medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for causing the programmable processor to:

present the operator with a task to be performed pursuant to the second protocol; and

receive an acknowledgement from the operator that the task has been performed.

24. The medium of claim 17, wherein updating the second health care protocol comprises supplanting at least a part of the second health care protocol with a part of the first health care protocol.

25. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

receive a recorded storage medium;

receive a first health care protocol from the recorded storage medium; and

update a second health care protocol based on the first health care protocol.

26. The medium of claim 25, wherein the recorded storage medium includes a battery.

27. The medium of claim 25, wherein the recorded storage medium includes a data card.

28. The medium of claim 25, wherein the second health care protocol includes a training health care protocol.

29. The medium of claim 25, wherein the second protocol includes a set of procedures for treating the patient.

30. The medium of claim 25, wherein the second protocol includes at least one of timers, checklists, prompts, display modes, references and utilities.

31. The medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions for causing the programmable processor to:

present the operator with a task to be performed pursuant to the second protocol; and

receive an acknowledgement from the operator that the task has been performed.

32. The medium of claim 25, wherein updating the second health care protocol comprises supplanting at least a part of the second health care protocol with a part of the first health care protocol.

33. A system comprising:

a server to customize a health care training protocol; and

a client device to receive the customized health care training protocol over a network.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the health care training protocol is used by a trainer to simulate the behavior of a defibrillator.

35. The system of claim 33, further comprising a storage site to store a plurality of protocols.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the protocol comprises at least one of an object in an object-oriented language and a set of objects in an object-oriented language related by links.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the network comprises at least one of a local network, an Internet network, a telephone network and a wireless communication network.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the server collects data from the client device over the network.

39. An apparatus comprising:

a battery; and

a recorded storage medium that stores at least a part of a health care protocol.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the apparatus is configured to mate to at least one of a defibrillator, a patient monitor, and a trainer.

41. A medical device comprising:

an input device to receive recorded storage medium and to retrieve a health care protocol stored on the medium; and

a memory to store the health care protocol.

42. The device of claim 41, wherin the health care protocol is a first health care protocol and wherein the memory is further configured to store a second health care protocol, the device further comprising a processor to update the second health care protocol based on the first health care protocol.

43. The device of claim 41, wherein the input device comprises an adapter.

44. The device of claim 41, wherein the input device comprises a data card reader.

45. The device of claim 41, wherein the recorded storage medium includes a battery.