IN-ROOM ALARM CONFIGURATION OF NURSE CALL SYSTEM

• US 20130300548A1
• Filed: 05/08/2012
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Schuman, Richard J., Robinson, Andrew S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• 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: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A nurse call system includes a room station located in a patient room and having a graphical display. The nurse call system also includes an equipment port located in the patient room and configured to couple to medical equipment to receive an alarm signal from the medical equipment. The room station is configured to present a list of medical equipment types on the second graphical display in response to coupling of the medical equipment to the equipment port for selection by a user of the type of medical equipment coupled to the equipment port.

Claims

1. A nurse call system comprising

a master station having a first electronic display,

a room station located in a patient room remote from the master station and having a second electronic display, the room station being configured to communicate with the master station, and

an equipment port located in the patient room and configured to couple to medical equipment to receive a signal from the medical equipment, wherein the room station is configured to present a list of medical equipment types on the second electronic display in response to coupling of the medical equipment to the equipment port for selection by a user of the type of medical equipment coupled to the equipment port.

2. The nurse call system of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises an alarm signal and an alarm message is transmitted to the master station including information identifying the selected medical equipment type in response to the alarm signal being communicated to the equipment port from the medical equipment.

3. The nurse call system of claim 2, wherein the master station displays information about the alarm signal on the first electronic display including displaying the selected medical equipment type.

4. The nurse call system of claim 3, wherein the master station also displays on the first electronic display at least one of a room number of the patient room from which the alarm message originated and the wait time before a caregiver responds to the alarm message.

5. The nurse call system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the master station and the room station cause a page to be sent to at least one designated paging device in response to occurrence of the alarm signal.

6. The nurse call system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the master station and room station cause a text message to be sent to at least one designated communication device carried by at least one caregiver in response to occurrence of the alarm signal.

7. The nurse call system of claim 6, wherein the at least one designated communication device comprises at least one of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a telephone handset, and a cellular telephone.

8. The nurse call system of claim 1, wherein the list of medical equipment types includes at least one of an IV pump, a call cord, a heart monitor, and a ventilator.

9. The nurse call system of claim 1, wherein the second electronic display comprises a touchscreen display and the selection of the medical equipment type coupled to the equipment port is accomplished by touching a field on the touchscreen display.

10. The nurse call system of claim 1, further comprising a control board communicatively coupled to the master station and the room station and the equipment port being coupled to the control board.

11. The nurse call system of claim 1, further comprising a face plate, the equipment port being coupled to the face plate, and a bed connection port to which a hospital bed couples also being coupled to the face plate.

12. The nurse call system of claim 11, further comprising a pillow speaker connector to which a pillow speaker unit couples also being coupled to the face plate.

13. The nurse call system of claim 1, further comprising a face plate, the equipment port being coupled to the face plate, and a nurse call cancel button also being coupled to the face plate.

14. The nurse call system of claim 1, further comprising a face plate, the equipment port being coupled to the face plate, and a second equipment port to which another medical device is coupleable also being coupled to the face plate.

15. The nurse call system of claim 1, wherein the equipment port comprises a ¼

inch jack.

16. The nurse call system of claim 1, further comprising an alert light located in proximity to the room and the alert light being illuminated in response to the alarm signal.

17. The nurse call system of claim 16, further comprising a control board that receives an alarm message associated with the alarm signal and that controls the illumination of the alert light.

18. The nurse call system of claim 16, wherein the alert light is included as part of a dome light assembly.

19. The nurse call system of claim 1, wherein the second electronic display comprises an alphanumeric display with scrolling capabilities for selection of the medical equipment type.

20. A nurse call system comprising

a room station located in a patient room and having an electronic display, and

an equipment port located in the patient room and configured to couple to medical equipment to receive a signal from the medical equipment, wherein the room station is configured to present a list of medical equipment types on the electronic display in response to coupling of the medical equipment to the equipment port for selection by a user of the type of medical equipment coupled to the equipment port.

21. A nurse call system comprising

a room station located in a patient room and having an electronic display, and

a plurality of equipment ports located in the patient room, each of the plurality of equipment ports being configured to couple to medical equipment to receive signals from the medical equipment, wherein the room station is configured to present a list of medical equipment types on the electronic display in response to coupling of the medical equipment to a selected equipment port of the plurality of equipment ports for selection by a user of the type of medical equipment coupled to the selected equipment port.