SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PATIENT DESTINATION PREDICTION

• US 20110125514A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Molaison, Jennifer Lynn
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A system and method of predicting telemetry signal dropout creates a prediction of patient destination. The method includes defining a telemetry coverage area, receiving a location of a monitored patient, recording the received location, calculating a trajectory and speed, and comparing the location, trajectory, and speed of the patient to historical patient movement trends to predict patient destination. The system includes a remote unit worn by a patient and at least one telemetry receiver, a location services computer, a patient location database, a location prediction computer, and a graphical display. The location services computer receives the location information and computes a location, speed, and trajectory of the patient. The location prediction computer compares the computed location, speed, and trajectory of the patient to previously acquired locations, speeds, and trajectories to predict a patient destination.

Claims

1. A method of predicting patient destination, the method comprising:

defining a telemetry coverage area with at least one antenna;

deriving a location of a monitored patient from a signal received by the at least one antenna;

recording over time the derived location in a database;

calculating, with a processor operating as a location services computer, a patient trajectory and speed of the monitored patient from the derived location and a previously received location;

comparing, with the location services computer, the location, trajectory, and speed of the monitored patient to historical patient movement trends recorded in the database; and

creating, with the processor, a prediction of patient destination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the prediction of patient destination on a graphical display.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the prediction of patient destination is presented as a probability of a specified patient destination.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the prediction of patient destination is presented as a probability for each of a plurality of specified patient destinations.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

defining a specified patient destination of the plurality as outside the telemetry coverage area;

defining a probability indicative of an alarm;

initiating an alarm if the probability that the patient destination is a destination outside of the telemetry coverage area meets the probability indicative of an alarm.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein if no location of a monitored patient is received, the method further comprises:

defining the location of the monitored patient as the last received location of the monitored patient; and

comparing the last received location, calculated trajectory, and calculated speed, to location information from the database, the location information indicative of a destination outside of the telemetry coverage area; and

creating a prediction of a patient destination outside of the telemetry coverage area.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

dispatching a clinician to the predicted patient destination outside of the telemetry coverage area;

recovering the monitored patient at an actual destination outside of the telemetry coverage area; and

recording the actual destination outside of the telemetry coverage area as location information in the database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the historical patient movement trends are derived from location, trajectory, and speed from a plurality of patients.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

recording location, trajectory, and speed for a plurality of patients;

using the recorded location, trajectory, and speed from the plurality of patients to predict the destination of the monitored patient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the recorded location, trajectory, and speed comprises previously recorded values of location, trajectory, and speed for the monitored patient.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

dividing the telemetry coverage area into a plurality of destination regions; and

predicting probability that the monitored patient will enter each of the destination regions.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the previously recorded patient locations, patient trajectories, and patient speeds are recorded from a plurality of patients in the telemetry coverage area.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in the comparison of the patient location, trajectory, and speed to the previously recorded patient locations, trajectories, and speeds weights the patient'"'"'s own previously recorded patient locations, trajectories, and speeds over those of the plurality of patients.

12. A method of predicting a destination of a patient, the method comprising:

defining a telemetry coverage area comprising at least one antenna;

continuously receiving a patient telemetry signal with at least one antenna of the telemetry coverage area;

continuously receiving a patient location signal with at least one antenna of the telemetry coverage area;

deriving a patient location from the received patient location signal;

computing a patient trajectory and a patient speed from the derived patient location;

recording the patient location, patient trajectory, and patient speed in a database comprising previously recorded patient locations, patient trajectories, and patient speeds;

comparing the patient location, patient trajectory, and patient speed to the first database to correlate the patient location, patient trajectory, and patient speed to previously recorded patient locations, trajectories, and speeds; and

calculating a probability that the patient will move to a specified destination.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the previously recorded patient locations, patient trajectories, and patient speeds comprise those previously recorded from the patient.

16. A system for predictive warning of telemetry signal dropout, the system comprising:

a remote unit worn by a patient, the remote unit transmits location information and telemetry information;

a plurality of telemetry receivers in a telemetry coverage area that receive the transmitted location information and telemetry information;

a location services computer that receives the location information and computes the location of the patient, the speed of the patient, and the trajectory of the patient;

a patient location database that records the computed location, speed, and trajectory of the patient, and records location, speed, and trajectory from a plurality of patients in the telemetry coverage area;

a location prediction computer that compares the computed location, speed, and trajectory of the patient to the locations, speeds, and trajectories stored on the database to predict a patient destination and produces an alarm if the patient destination is outside of the telemetry coverage area; and

a graphical display that receives and presents the patient destination and receives and presents the alarm.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the location prediction computer includes an artificial neural network.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the telemetry coverage area is defined in the location prediction computer as a plurality of discrete destinations and the predicted patient destination is a probability that the patient will enter a specific destination of the plurality.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the predicted patient destination is a probability that the patient will enter each of the plurality of discrete destinations.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the predicted patient destination is a probability that the patient will enter each of the destinations adjacent a patient'"'"'s current destination.