DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ROUTING A MEDICAL ALERT TO A SELECTED STAFF MEMBER

• US 20150116112A1
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Flinsenberg, Ingrid Christina Maria, Cuppen, Roel Peter Geert, Van Loenen, Evert Jan, Rajae-Joordens, Rosemarie Jolanda Elise, Daemen, Elke Marieke Lambert
• Granted Patent: US 9,652,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A method for routing a medical alert to a selected staff member 151-153, the method comprising receiving an alert signal generated by an alert generation device 121-126, obtaining the current location and identity of multiple staff members from a location tracking system 141-146 configured to track the locations of the multiple staff members, upon receiving the alert signal, selecting from the multiple staff members a selected staff member by at least determining that the distance between a location of the alert generation device and the location of the selected staff member is shorter than the distance between the location of the alert generation device and the location of at least one of the multiple staff members other than the selected staff member, and sending an alert signal to an individually addressable mobile device associated with the selected staff member.

Claims

1. A method for routing a medical alert to a selected staff member, the method comprising

receiving an alert signal generated by an alert generation device,

obtaining the current location and identity of multiple staff members from a location tracking system configured to track the locations of the multiple staff members,

upon receiving the alert signal,

determining which staff members of the multiple staff members are available to respond to the alert, a particular staff members is determined as unavailable if its location is in a defined unavailability area,

selecting from the multiple suitable staff members a selected staff member that is available to respond to the alert type and by at least determining that the distance between a location of the alert generation device and the location of the selected staff member is shorter than the distance between the location of the alert generation device and the location of at least one of the multiple suitable staff members other than the selected staff member that is also available to respond, and

sending an alert signal to an individually addressable mobile device associated with the selected staff member.

2. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 1, wherein

the alert signal comprises an alert type, and wherein

selecting the selected staff member further comprises

determining which staff members of the multiple staff members are suitable to respond to the alert type, a particular staff members is determined as suitable if suitability criteria associated with the identity of a staff member match the alert type,

selecting from the multiple suitable staff members a selected staff member that is suitable to respond to the alert type and by at least determining that the distance between a location of the alert generation device and the location of the selected staff member is shorter than the distance between the location of the alert generation device and the location of at least one of the multiple suitable staff members other than the selected staff member that is also suitable to respond.

4. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 1 wherein, the alert generation device is a mobile alert generation device, the method comprising

obtaining the current location of the mobile alert generation device from a location tracking system configured to track the location of the mobile alert generation device.

5. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 4, wherein the mobile alert generation device comprises a fall detector, the mobile alert generation device being configured to generate the alert upon the fall detector detecting the fall of a person carrying the mobile alert generation device.

6. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 4, comprising

detecting that the location of the mobile alert generation device remains in an alert area for a period exceeding an alert period.

7. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 1, comprising

selecting from multiple displays a selected display closest to the location of the alert generation device,

upon receiving the alert signal, sending a message to the selected display for display.

8. A method for routing a medical alert as in claim 7, comprising

receiving from the selected staff member an expected response time, and wherein the message for display on the selected display comprises the expected response time.

10. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform all the steps of claim 1 when the computer program is run on a computer.

11. A computer program as claimed in claim 10 embodied on a computer readable medium.

3. (canceled)

9. An alert router for routing a medical alert to a selected staff member, the alert router comprising

a receiver configured to receive an alert signal generated by an alert generation device,

a location obtainer configured to obtain the current location and identity of multiple staff members from a location tracking system configured to track the locations of the multiple staff members,

a selector configured to upon receiving the alert signal,

determining which staff members of the multiple staff members are available to respond to the alert, a particular staff members is determined as unavailable if its location is in a defined unavailability area,

selecting from the multiple suitable staff members a selected staff member that is available to respond to the alert type and by at least determining that the distance between a location of the alert generation device and the location of the selected staff member is shorter than the distance between the location of the alert generation device and the location of at least one of the multiple staff members other than the selected staff member that is also available to respond,

an alert signal sender configured to send an alert signal to an individually addressable mobile device associated with the selected staff member.