PATIENT COMMUNICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20100076782A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denholm Enterprises, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Denholm Enterprises, Inc.
• Inventors: DENHOLM, DIANA B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A healthcare communication system can include a patient terminal having a keyboard unit with message keys for transmitting different ones of one or more programmed messages, and alphanumeric keys for composing messages. The patient terminal can be communicatively linked to a patient terminal display for presenting the programmed messages and composed messages. Each of the message keys can include identifying indicia associated with a programmed message transmitted upon selection of the message key. The patient terminal keyboard also can include one or more destination keys for specifying one of multiple destination addresses within the healthcare communication system for delivering individual ones of the messages.

Claims

1. A healthcare communication system comprising:

a patient terminal comprising a keyboard unit having message keys for generating different ones of a plurality of programmed messages and alphanumeric keys for composing messages, wherein said patient terminal is communicatively linked to a patient terminal display for presenting said plurality of programmed messages and composed messages, each said message key having a surface portion and unique identifying indicia disposed on the surface portion and corresponding to a particular programmed patient message that is transmitted over the communication system after a patient selects said message key;

a memory communicatively linked to the patient terminal for storing the programmed messages, wherein the plurality of programmed messages include at least one patient-specific message composed by a patient or other person using the keyboard unit, wherein the at least one patient-specific message is associated with one of the message keys, defining an activation key, to enable the patient to send the message by pressing the activation key, and wherein the at least one patient-specific message can be sent by the patient to a patient-directed destination;

a nurse station remotely located from and communicatively linked to the patient terminal for receiving assistance messages from the patient, wherein the system dates and time-stamps each assistance message for performing quality control monitoring; and

a nutrition station configured to transmit messages specifying at least one food item choice to said patient terminal for presentation upon said patient terminal display and to receive messages from said patient terminal specifying selected ones of said food item choices indicating food items to be prepared and delivered.

2. A method for facilitating patient communications, comprising:

providing a healthcare communication system, said healthcare communication system comprising;

a patient system comprising a patient video display, and a patient terminal comprising at least one message or destination button, and

a plurality of healthcare stations, said plurality of healthcare stations comprising a nurse station remotely located and communicatively linked to the patient terminal for receiving and responding to assistance messages from a patient;

programming each of said at least one message keys with a patient-specific message, said patient-specific message composed by a patient or other person using the healthcare communication system, wherein each message key has a unique identifying indicia on a surface of said message key, said identifying indicia symbolically indicating the patient-specific message, each of said patient destination buttons associated with a location communicatively linked to said healthcare communication system; and

sending a patient-specific message associated with one of said at least one message keys to a remote location when a corresponding message key is pressed by said patient.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

logging, within an electronic data store, message transmission information specifying a transmission date and time of messages initiated by the patient terminal and identifiers indicating said healthcare stations receiving said messages;

logging, within said electronic data store, message response information specifying a transmission date and time of messages generated by said receiving healthcare stations in response to said patient terminal initiated messages;

comparing said message transmission information and said message response information to determine performance metrics for said healthcare stations; and

generating a report specifying said performance metrics.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said remote location is a nutrition station.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said remote location is a nurse station terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said method further comprises:

transmitting a message from said nutrition station specifying at least one food item choice to said patient terminal; and

transmitting a response from said patient terminal, said response specifying selected ones of said food item choices to be prepared and delivered to the patient.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said healthcare communication system further comprises at least one safety feature selected from:

displaying information regarding an on-duty nurses or doctors assigned to the patient;

displaying a picture of an unauthorized person who is not permitted access to the patient;

displaying special reminders of dietary restrictions;

limiting visitor access, wherein said limiting step comprises the patient using said patient terminal to determine whether to allow in-person or live video visits, or wherein said limiting step comprises the patient using said patient terminal to determine whether to activate an in-room camera while visiting with a visitor at the visitor center; and

combinations thereof.