System and Method of Using Location Technology to Aid Patient Recovery

• US 20120035427A1
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Friedman, Bruce A., Grubis, Matthew, Davis, Carl C., Nantz, Brian W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient includes a remote monitoring device associated with the patient. A location services system tracks a location of the remote monitoring device. A patient tracking computer calculates a distance and a duration of patient ambulation from the tracked location. A method of monitoring an ambulatory patient monitors the location of a remote monitoring device and derives ambulatory event data from the monitored location.

Claims

1. A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a remote monitoring device associated with the patient, the remote monitoring device obtains a physiological value from the patient and broadcasts the physiological value;

a location services (LS) system that tracks a location of the remote monitoring device; and

a patient tracking computer communicatively connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system, the patient tracking computer receives the physiological value and the location of the remote monitoring device and calculates a distance and a duration of patient ambulation from the tracked location received from the LS system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the LS system comprises a global positioning system (GPS) within the remote monitoring device, wherein the GPS determines the location of the remote monitoring device and the remote monitoring device broadcasts the location determined by the GPS.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one telemetry receiver that receives the physiological value broadcast by the remote monitoring device, wherein the LS system determines the location of the remote monitoring device by triangulating the broadcast physiological value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient tracking computer further monitors an ambulatory event prescribed by a clinician, the ambulatory event being defined by a predetermined distance and a predetermined duration.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the patient tracking computer further monitors an elapsed time for the ambulatory event.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a graphical display communicatively connected to the patient tracking computer, the graphical display presents the physiological value, the distance of the ambulatory event, and the elapsed time of the ambulatory event.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient tracking computer applies an algorithm to the tracked location of the remote monitoring device to calculate the distance of the patient ambulation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the algorithm identifies a plurality of possible paths between a first location of the remote monitoring device and a second location of the remote monitoring device, and calculates a probability associated with each of the plurality of possible paths.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the algorithm is derived from analysis of historical patient location information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the algorithm is derived using an advanced neural network (ANN).

11. A system of monitoring an ambulatory patient, the system comprising:

a remote monitoring device associated with the ambulatory patient;

a location services (LS) system that tracks a position of the remote monitoring device;

a patient tracking computer, communicatively connected to the LS system, wherein the patient tracking computer receives the position of the remote monitoring device and the patient tracking computer calculates a distance traveled and an elapsed duration of an ambulatory event from the received position of the remote monitoring device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the ambulatory event is defined as a predetermined distance.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the patient tracking computer further calculates an average speed of the ambulatory patient over the ambulatory event.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote monitoring device further measures at least one physiological parameter from the ambulatory patient and the remote monitoring device broadcasts the measured at least one physiological parameter, the patient tracking computer receives the broadcast at least one physiological parameter from the remote monitoring device, and correlates the at least one physiological parameter to the distance traveled and elapsed duration of the ambulatory event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the patient tracking computer applies an algorithm derived from analysis of historical patient location information to the position of the remote monitoring device to identify a plurality of paths between a first location of the remote monitoring device and a second location of the remote monitoring device and a probability associated with each of the plurality of paths.

16. A method of monitoring an ambulatory patient, the method comprising:

providing the ambulatory patient with a remote monitoring device;

tracking a location of the remote monitoring device with a location services (LS) system;

monitoring an ambulatory event with a patient tracking computer communicatively connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS;

deriving ambulatory event data from the tracked location, the ambulatory event data comprising an ambulatory event distance and an ambulatory event duration.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising mapping a patient pathway during the ambulatory event.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising measuring a physiological value from the patient with the remote monitoring device and transmitting the physiological value to the patient tracking computer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the LS tracks the location of the remote monitoring device by triangulating the transmitted physiological value.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising presenting the ambulatory event data to the patient on a graphical display in a comparative format with previously obtained ambulatory event data.