METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING OPERATIONAL DATA TO A MEDICAL DEVICE LOCATED WITHIN A HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20150370973A1
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Vial SAS (Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Vial SAS (Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Jones, Alaster
• Granted Patent: US 11,049,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A method for transferring operational data to a medical device (31, 32) for administering a drug to a patient, the medical device (31, 32) being located in a healthcare environment (3) and connected to a local network (33), comprises the steps of: transferring operational data to be transferred to the medical device (31, 32) to a communication device (40, 41); reading, by means of the communication device (40, 41), information from an identification tag (8) attached to the medical device (31, 32), wherein the information causes the communication device (40, 41) to access a communication interface (310, 320, 340) associated with the medical device (31, 32); and transferring the operational data from the communication device (40, 41) via the communication interface (310, 320, 340) to the medical device (31, 32). By these means a method is provided which in an easy and comfortable, yet reliable way allows transferring operational data from an external server to a medical device located within a non-public, local network within a hospital environment.

Claims

1. A method for transferring operational data to a medical device for administering a drug to a patient, the medical device being located in a healthcare environment and connected to a local network, the method comprising the steps of:

transferring operational data to be transferred to the medical device to a communication device,

reading, by means of the communication device, information from an identification tag attached to or displayed on the medical device, wherein the information causes the communication device to access a communication interface associated with the medical device, and

transferring the operational data from the communication device via the communication interface to the medical device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface provides operational information about the medical device.

3. The method according to claims 1, wherein the communication interface is implemented on the medical device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is an infusion device for administering a drug to a patient or a rack constituted to be connected to at least one infusion pump.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is implemented on a distribution server located in the healthcare environment and connected to the local network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is constituted by a web server.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification tag is a barcode.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification tag is static or dynamic.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational data is transferred to the communication device from a drug library server located within a public communication network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the public communication network is the internet.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the communication device comprises a web client for communicating with the drug library server via the public communication network.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the drug library server is constituted to output operational data in a flat file format or an XML or JSON/BSON format.