METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A CARETAKER TAKES APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO PREVENT PATIENT BEDSORES

• US 20160324460A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: KUSENS, NEIL
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

Systems and methods for reducing the chance that a patient will develop a bedsore may determine whether a caregiver physically approaches a patient and remains in close physical proximity to a patient for a time sufficient to perform a bedsore prevention action. If a planned bedsore prevention action does not appear to be performed, the systems and methods may alert the patient, the caregiver, or others. A determination may be made as to whether the patient'"'"'s position has changed in a manner consistent with a bedsore prevention action.

Claims

1. A method of reducing the chance that a patient will develop a bedsore, the method comprising:

receiving, from a wireless receiver associated with one of a caregiver and a patient, data regarding signal strength for a signal received from a wireless transmitter associated with the other of the caregiver and the patient;

determining, by a computerized monitoring system, when the signal strength indicates that the caregiver has approached the patient;

determining, by the computerized monitoring system, and using the data regarding the strength of the signal from the wireless receiver, whether the caregiver enters a virtual patient or bed zone around the patient within a specified period of time for performing a bedsore prevention action, and whether the caregiver remains within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for a predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing, by a computerized communication system in electronic communication with the computerized monitoring system, an alert when the caregiver has not approached the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient within the specified period of time for performing a bedsore prevention action or has not remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the alert is directed to the patient, the caregiver, an alternate caregiver, a centralized monitoring station, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computerized monitoring system, data from a 3D motion sensor co-located with the patient.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, by the computerized monitoring system and based on the data from the 3D motion sensor, whether the patient has changed position consistent with a bedsore prevention action within the specified time for performing the bedsore prevention action.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising issuing, by a computerized communication system in electronic communication with the computerized monitoring system, an alert when the patient has not sufficiently changed position to comply with a bedsore prevention action within the specified period of time for performing a bedsore prevention action.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alert is directed to the patient, the caregiver, an alternate caregiver, a centralized monitoring station, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying images from the 3D motion sensor on a centralized monitoring station primary display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying images from the 3D motion sensor on a centralized monitoring station alert display upon receipt of an alert.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the caregiver that has entered the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient, by the computerized monitoring system, based on data received from the wireless transmitter.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, by the computerized monitoring system, data from a 3D motion sensor co-located with the patient, and using the data from the 3D motion sensor to confirm the identity of the caregiver that has entered the virtual patient or bed zone.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording in a database whether the caregiver enters the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient within the specified period of time for performing a bedsore prevention action, and whether the caregiver remains within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions.

13. A system for reducing the chance that a patient will develop a bedsore, the system comprising:

a wireless transmitter associated with one of a caregiver and a patient;

a wireless receiver associated with the other of the caregiver and the patient, the wireless receiver configured to receive transmissions from the wireless transmitter when the wireless transmitter is within range of the wireless receiver;

a computerized monitoring system configured to receive signal strength data from the wireless receiver when the wireless receiver is within range of the wireless transmitter, the computerized monitoring system further configured to determine whether a caregiver has entered a virtual patient or bed zone within a specified period of time and has remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for a predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions; and

a computerized communication system configured to receive an alert from the computerized monitoring system upon a determination that a caregiver has not entered a virtual patient or bed zone within the specified period of time or has not remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions, the computerized communication system further configured to communicate an alert to at least one of the patient, the caregiver, an alternate caregiver, a database, and a centralized monitoring station.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a 3D motion sensor, wherein the computerized monitoring system is configured to receive image data from the 3D motion sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the centralized monitoring station comprises a primary display, and image data from the 3D motion sensor is displayed on the primary display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the centralized monitoring station further comprises a second display area, the second display area configured to display image data from the 3D motion sensor upon receipt of an alert that the caregiver has not entered the virtual patient or bed zone within the specified period of time or has not remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computerized monitoring system is further configured to determine, using data from the 3D motion sensor, whether the patient has changed position consistent with a bedsore prevention action within the specified time for performing the bedsore prevention action.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computerized communication system sends a confirmation notification to the caregiver when the patient has changed position consistent with a bedsore prevention action.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the computerized monitoring system is configured to determine whether the patient has changed position consistent with a bedsore prevention action within the specified time for performing the bedsore prevention action after determining that the caregiver has entered and remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient within the specified time for performing the bedsore prevention action and for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform the bedsore prevention action.

20. Computer storage media, excluding signals per se, embodying computer-executable instructions for performing a method for reducing the chance that a patient will develop a bedsore, the instructions comprising:

a data acquisition module configured to receive data from a wireless receiver;

a virtual zone module configured to define a virtual zone around a patient;

an action determination module configured to analyze data from the wireless receiver and determine whether a caregiver enters the virtual zone within a specified period of time for performing a bedsore prevention action, and whether the caregiver remains within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for a predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions; and

a communication module configured to send one or more alerts upon determining that the caregiver has not entered the virtual zone within the specified period of time for performing the bedsore prevention action, or the caregiver has not remained within the virtual patient or bed zone around the patient for the predetermined period of time sufficient to perform one or more bedsore prevention actions.