Patient/nurse call system

• US 5,838,223 A
• Filed: 08/23/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Gallant, Dennis, Harnden, James C., Ulrich, Daniel J., Myers, Julie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Application Number:
  US08/701,245
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.01, 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 340/286.08, 340/286.09, 340/573, 340/825.36, 340/825.08, 340/825.49, 340/825.52, 364/413.02, 364/413.03, 379/38
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/12 Manually actuated calamity alarm transmitting arrangements emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm, activators, e.g. details of alarm push buttons mounted on an infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• 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 patient/nurse call system for a hospital includes patient stations capable of generating hospital calls and a remote master station which prioritizes and stores the calls. Hall units outside patient rooms identify the rooms from which the calls originate and the type of call. Each patient station allows selective retrieval and display of unanswered calls, and the system further permits audio interconnection between any two of the stations. Nurse-worn badges transmit pulse-coded infrared signals which are received by receivers at the patient stations and in response, the systems generates identity and location signals which are stored at the master station. The nurse location and identity information may also be retrieved and displayed at any patient station. Receipt of a nurse'"'"'s infrared signal at a room station automatically cancels a patient call originating from the room and display thereof by the respective hall unit, while actuating a display to indicate nurse presence. By using the nurse call button, the patient can establish telephonic communications between the patient station and a wireless telephone being carried by a remotely located nurse.

Claims

1. A patient/nurse call system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters adapted to be carried by hospital personnel, each transmitter periodically transmitting an identification signal unique to that transmitter;

a plurality of patient locations, each of the plurality of patient locations being associated with a patient and including

a microprocessor,

a receiver for receiving the identification signals from the plurality of transmitters, and

a microphone and speaker for audio communications;

a master station location remote from the patient locations, the master station location having

a microprocessor, and

a microphone and speaker for audio communications;

a first PBX operatively connected between the microprocessor at the master station location and each of the microprocessors at the plurality of patient locations for providing all data communications between any of the plurality of patient locations and the master station location and further providing all audio communications between the plurality of patient locations and the master station location;

a telephone; and

a second PBX connected between the telephone and the first PBX for providing a data and voice communications link between the telephone and the master station location and the plurality of patient locations.

2. The patient/nurse call system of claim 1 wherein the microphone and the speaker at the patient location are part of a patient station at each of the plurality of patient locations.

3. The patient/nurse call system of claim 1 wherein the speaker at the patient location is located in a pillow unit at each of the plurality of patient locations.

4. The patient/nurse call system of claim 1 wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone.

5. A method of providing voice communications between a staff person and a patient in a hospital comprising the steps of:

providing an identification number unique to a patient in response to the staff person using a telephone;

automatically transmitting the identification number to a hospital PBX;

automatically passing the identification number through the hospital PBX to a second PBX;

automatically passing the identification number from the second PBX to a master station associated with a location of the patient;

automatically opening a voice communications channel between the staff person and the patient through the hospital PBX, the second PBX and a speaker and microphone at the patient location without any physical action being required by the patient.

6. The method of providing voice communications of claim 5 wherein prior to the step of providing an identification number, the method further comprises the step of detecting an opening of a trunk line in response to the staff person using the telephone.

7. The method of providing voice communications of claim 5 wherein after the step of automatically opening a voice communication channel, the method further comprises the steps of:

detecting the staff person terminating the call; and

closing the voice communication channel in response to the staff person terminating the call.

8. A method of providing voice communications between a staff person and a patient in a hospital comprising the steps of:

actuating a pushbutton to initiate a PATIENT call from the patient;

automatically identifying in response to the PATIENT call, a staff person associated with the patient;

automatically initiating a telephone call to a telephone associated with the first staff person in response to the PATIENT call;

detecting the telephone being answered; and

opening a voice communication channel between the telephone of the staff person and a speaker and microphone located near the patient.

9. A method of providing voice communications of claim 8 further comprising in response to detecting the telephone being answered the steps of:

transmitting a voice message to the telephone identifying the patient to the staff person;

transmitting a reply initiated by the staff person using the telephone; and

initiating a subsequent action in response to the reply.

10. A method of providing voice and data communications between a staff person and a patient in a hospital comprising the steps of:

(a) actuating a nontelephonic unit to initiate a call from the patient to a first staff person associated with the patient;

(b) detecting the call with a first microprocessor located with the patient;

(c) passing the call from the first microprocessor to a first PBX;

(d) passing the call from the first PBX to a second microprocessor at a master station associated with the patient;

(e) identifying in response to the call, a first staff person associated with the patient;

(f) initiating a telephone call from the second microprocessor at the master station through the first PBX and through a hospital PBX to a telephone associated with the first staff person;

(g) detecting the telephone being answered;

(h) transmitting a message from the second microprocessor at the master station, through the first PBX and through a hospital PBX to the telephone, the message identifying the patient and characteristics associated with the call;

(i) transmitting a reply initiated by the first staff person using the telephone, through the hospital PBX and the first PBX and back to the second microprocessor at the master station; and

(j) initiating a subsequent action by second microprocessor at the master station in response to the reply.

11. The method providing voice and data communications of claim 10 wherein the step of initiating a call further comprises changing a binary output by actuating a pushbutton.

12. The method of providing voice and data communications of claim 10 wherein the subsequent action comprises the step of opening a voice communication channel between the telephone of the first staff person and a speaker and microphone located near the patient in response to a first reply from the first staff person.

13. The method of providing voice and data communications of claim 10 wherein the call is a nonlatching call and after the step of detecting the telephone being answered, the process further comprises the step of cancelling the call.

14. The method of providing voice and data communications of claim 10 wherein the call is a nonlatching call and the subsequent action comprises the step of automatically, after a period of time, repeating steps (f) through (j) in response to a second reply from the first staff person.

15. The method of providing voice and data communications of claim 10 wherein the subsequent action comprises the step of identifying a second staff person associated with the patient in response to a third reply from the first staff person and initiating a telephone call from the second microprocessor at the master station through the first PBX and through a hospital PBX to a telephone associated with the second staff person.

16. The method of providing voice and data communications of claim 15 further comprising the steps of repeating steps (g) through (j) with respect to the second staff person.