Patient activity monitor

• US 20050242946A1
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sotera Wireless Incorporated (Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Trustees of Boston University
• Inventors: Healy, Michael D., Mastrangelo, Marianne, Hubbard, James E. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,336,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A patient activity monitoring system that allows caregivers of multiple patients to work more efficiently and with reduced cost, while increasing the quality and level of patient care. The system includes a plurality of remote monitoring subsystems, a plurality of user notification units, and a central monitoring unit with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) communicably coupled between the remote monitoring and user notification units. Each remote monitoring subsystem includes a remote monitoring unit, and a sensor device associated with a respective patient that detects one or more activity and/or physiological parameters of the patient. A simplified user interface including the GUI and the user notification units provides indications of the type and level of assistance required by one or more patients to caregivers at centralized and remote locations.

Claims

1. A patient monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of remote monitoring subsystems, each remote monitoring subsystem including a remote monitoring unit and at least one sensor device coupled to the remote monitoring unit, each sensor device being associated with a respective patient;

a plurality of user notification devices; and

a central monitoring unit communicably coupled to the plurality of remote monitoring subsystems and the plurality of user notification devices, the central monitoring unit having a graphical user interface,

wherein each sensor device is configured to detect at least one predetermined parameter of the respective patient associated therewith, and to transmit data representative of the detected parameter to the remote monitoring unit coupled thereto,

wherein each remote monitoring unit is configured to receive sensor data, and to transmit patient information corresponding to the sensor data to the central monitoring unit, the patient information including representations of at least one type and level of assistance required by the respective patient, and

wherein at least one of the graphical user interface and the plurality of user notification devices is operative to provide at least one alarm indication based on the type and level of assistance required by at least one of the respective patients.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured to store the patient information in at least one database.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the central monitoring unit is further configured to access selected patient information from the database, and to generate at least one report based on the selected information.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupleable to a wide area network, the central monitoring unit being further configured to transmit the at least one generated report over the wide area network.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured for periodically transmitting the at least one report over the wide area network.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured for automatically transmitting the at least one report over the wide area network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one predetermined parameter detected by the sensor device is selected from the group consisting of at least one patient activity parameter and at least one patient physiological parameter.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the at least one patient physiological parameter is selected from the group consisting of heartbeat data and respiration data.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the at least one patient activity parameter is selected from the group consisting of patient weight data, random movement data, swaying movement data, low activity data, rocking movement data, cheek walk data, patient presence data, patient incontinence data, and patient seizure data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface is configured to receive inputs from a system user for making multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the graphical user interface includes a first display area configured to display caregiver information, a second display area configured to display patient information, and a third display area configured to display user notification device information.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first, second, and third display areas of the graphical user interface are configured to communicate the multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices to the system user.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one alarm indication provided by the graphical user interface includes at least one icon having a predetermined color and a predetermined shape, the icon being associated with a respective patient.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the type of assistance required by the respective patient.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the type of assistance required by the respective patient.

18. The system of claim 7 wherein the graphical user interface includes a first display area configured to display information corresponding to at least one of the patient activity parameter and the patient physiological parameter.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupled to the remote monitoring subsystems and the user notification devices via at least one wireless network.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupled to the remote monitoring subsystems and the user notification devices via at least one land-based network.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein each user notification device comprises an alphanumeric pager.

22. A method of operating a patient monitoring system, comprising the steps of:

detecting at least one predetermined parameter of at least one respective patient by at least one sensor device, each sensor device being associated with a respective patient;

transmitting data representative of the detected parameter to at least one remote monitoring unit by the sensor device, the remote monitoring unit being coupled to the at least one sensor device;

receiving sensor data from the sensor device by the remote monitoring unit;

transmitting patient information corresponding to the sensor data to a central monitoring unit by the remote monitoring unit, the patient information including representations of at least one type and level of assistance required by the respective patient; and

providing at least one alarm indication based on the type and level of assistance required by at least one of the respective patients by at least one of a graphical user interface of the central monitoring unit and a plurality of user notification devices, the plurality of user notification devices being coupled to the central monitoring unit.

23. The method of claim 22 further including the step of storing the patient information in at least one database by the central monitoring unit.

24. The method of claim 23 further including the step of accessing selected patient information from the database and generating at least one report based on the selected information by the central monitoring unit.

25. The method of claim 24 further including the step of transmitting the at least one generated report over a wide area network by the central monitoring unit.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the at least one predetermined parameter detected by the sensor device is selected from the group consisting of at least one patient activity parameter and at least one patient physiological parameter.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the at least one patient physiological parameter is selected from the group consisting of heartbeat data and respiration data.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the at least one patient activity parameter is selected from the group consisting of patient weight data, random movement data, swaying movement data, low activity data, rocking movement data, cheek walk data, patient presence data, patient incontinence data, and patient seizure data.

29. The method of claim 22 further including the step of receiving inputs from a system user for making multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices by the graphical user interface.

30. The method of claim 29 further including the steps of displaying caregiver information by a first display area of the graphical user interface, displaying patient information by a second area of the graphical user interface, and displaying user notification device information by a third area of the graphical user interface.

31. The method of claim 30 further including the step of communicating the multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices to the system user by the first, second, and third display areas of the graphical user interface.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein the at least one alarm indication provided by the graphical user interface includes at least one icon having a predetermined color and a predetermined shape, the icon being associated with a respective patient.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the type of assistance required by the respective patient.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the type of assistance required by the respective patient.