Anti-Loss for Medical Devices

• US 20160171851A1
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Anson, Michael J., Chu, Zhon, Grant, Jennifer, Mullin, Matthew D., Quinn, David E., Salibra, Alisa R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,761,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A medical device system includes one or more anti-loss/anti-theft mechanisms. The medical device system comprises a wireless medical device and a docking station. An alarm is activated on one or more of the wireless medical device or the docking station when an alarm threshold is detected by one of the anti-loss/anti-theft mechanisms.

Claims

1. A wireless medical device, comprising:

a medical sensor;

an operational state module configured to monitor and store a status of operational states of the wireless medical device;

a communication module configured to communicate with a docking station;

a mating module configured to associate an identifier for the wireless medical device with an identifier for the docking station;

an alarm module configured to activate an alarm based on data obtained by at least one of;

the operational state module, the communication module, and the mating module.

2. The wireless medical device of claim 1, wherein the medical sensor is a wireless thermometer probe.

3. The wireless medical device of claim 2, wherein the operational state module is configured to determine when the wireless medical device is removed from the docking station, when the wireless medical device is used to record a temperature measurement, and when the wireless medical device is returned to the docking station.

4. The wireless medical device of claim 3, wherein the communication module is further configured to determine a distance between the wireless medical device and the docking station.

5. The wireless medical device of claim 4, further comprising:

a display; and

a display module configured to cause the display to provide the identifier for the wireless medical device.

6. The wireless medical device of claim 5, wherein the mating module is further configured to cause the display to provide the identifier for the docking station.

7. The wireless medical device of claim 4, wherein the operational state module is configured to monitor an amount of time the wireless medical device has been in an idle state;

and

wherein the alarm is activated when both;

a predetermined period of time that the wireless medical device has been removed from the docking station exceeds a first threshold and a second predetermined period of time that the wireless medical device has been in the idle state exceeds a second threshold.

8. The wireless medical device of claim 7, wherein the idle state begins after the temperature measurement has been recorded.

9. The wireless medical device of claim 8, wherein the alarm is activated when a predetermined distance between the wireless medical device and a badge associated with a clinician exceeds a third threshold;

and

wherein the clinician is associated with the wireless medical device.

10. The wireless medical device of claim 8, further comprising a paging module configured to activate the alarm module when a paging button is selected on the docking station.

11. A method for providing an alarm for a wireless medical device, comprising:

monitoring a status of operational states of the wireless medical device;

storing the status of operational states of the wireless medical device;

associating an identifier for the wireless medical device with an identifier for a docking station;

displaying the identifier for the wireless medical device; and

activating the alarm when the status of one of the operational states of the wireless medical device exceeds a threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless medical device is configured to measure a temperature of a patient.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the operational states of the wireless medical device include when the wireless medical device is removed from the docking station, when the wireless medical device is used to record a temperature measurement, and when the wireless medical device is returned to the docking station.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the identifier for the wireless medical device and the identifier for the docking station on a display.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the alarm is activated based upon at least one of:

a time that the wireless medical device has been removed from the docking station, a first distance of the wireless medical device from the docking station, and a second distance of the wireless medical device from a clinician badge.

16. An electronic computing device, comprising:

a processing unit; and

system memory, the system memory including instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the electronic computing device to;

monitor and store a status of operational states of a wireless medical device, the wireless medical device being a thermometer probe;

communicate with a docking station;

associate an identifier for the wireless medical device with an identifier for the docking station;

determine when the wireless medical device is removed from the docking station;

determine when the wireless medical device is used to record a temperature measurement;

determine a distance between the wireless medical device and the docking station;

determine when the wireless medical device is returned to the docking station; and

activate an alarm when an alarm based on at least one of;

the distance between the wireless medical device and the docking station and when the wireless medical device is returned to the docking station.

17. The electronic computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic computing device to:

display the identifier for the wireless medical device; and

display the identifier for the docking station.

18. The electronic computing device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic computing device to:

monitor an amount of time the wireless medical device has been in an idle state, wherein the idle state begins after the temperature measurement has been recorded;

activate the alarm if the amount of time the wireless medical device has been in the idle state exceeds a first predetermined threshold.

19. The electronic computing device of claim 18, wherein the alarm is activated when a predetermined distance between the wireless medical device and a clinician badge exceeds a second predetermined threshold;

wherein a clinician is associated with the wireless medical device; and

wherein the clinician badge includes a photograph of the clinician.

20. The electronic computing device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic computing device to:

activate the alarm when a paging button is selected on the docking station.