Hospital monitoring and control system and method

• US 6,876,303 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Schuman, Richard J., Riley, Carl W., Kramer, Kenneth L., Jacques, William L. II, Reeder, Ryan Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/849,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 340/825.19, 340/825.49, 340/825.52
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• 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 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05 Parts, details or accessories of beds devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 ; mattresses A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0506 Head or foot boards head or foot boards for comfort or ergonomics A47C19/022
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• 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 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 : Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 : Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A hospital monitoring system for monitoring hospital personnel, a plurality of patient locations for patients, and associated devices is configured to control the associated devices based on the presence of hospital personnel or alarms.

Claims

1. A hospital monitoring system for monitoring hospital personnel, a plurality of patient locations for patients, and associated devices having a plurality of patient controls, comprising:

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

a plurality of receivers, each receiver corresponding to a patient location, the receivers receiving the transmitter signals and outputting a receiver signal; and

a computer coupled to the associated devices, the computer configured to receive the receiver signals and determine the presence of hospital personnel in the patient locations, the computer further configured to alter at least one of the patient controls based on the presence of hospital personnel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the associated devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the associated devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location, and further configured to require the hospital personnel to silence the alarm if the alarm is issued when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the associated devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location, and further configured to silence the alarm after a predetermined amount of time if the alarm is issued when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer includes a database, the database comprising:

a patient database, the patient database associated each patient with a patient location;

a hospital personnel database, the hospital personnel database associating hospital personnel with a patient; and

an alarm database, the alarm database associating a plurality of alarms with the hospital personnel.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel associated with a patient is present in the patient location associated with the patient.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel associated with a patient is present in the patient location associated with the patient and when the hospital personnel is further associated with the alarm.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the devices has an associated alarm and wherein the computer locks out the patient controls upon receiving an alarm signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer locks out the patient controls when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer locks out the patient controls when the hospital personnel associated with the patient is present in the patient location associated with the patient.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer locks out the patient controls upon receiving an alarm signal.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer selectively locks out patient controls based on the alarm signal.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one device is an environmental device, the environmental device having an associated patient control, and wherein the computer locks out the associated patient control upon receiving an alarm signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer is further configured to alter the environmental device based on the alarm signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer alters the environmental device upon receiving the alarm.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer alters the environmental device when the hospital personnel enters the patient location in which the environmental device is located.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer is further configured to determine overrides associated with the environmental device, and not alter the environmental device if an override exists.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the override is based on the time of day.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the alarm has an associated event magnitude, and wherein the override is based on the event magnitude.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer selectively locks out the patient controls if the hospital personnel is not present in the one of the patient locations.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one device is a hospital bed.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices in one of the patient locations has a plurality of features, and wherein the computer selectively locks out activation of one of the features if the hospital personnel is not present in the one of the patient locations.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one device is a hospital bed having a bed surface, and wherein the one of the features is changing the bed surface position.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer selectively enables the patient controls if the hospital personnel is not present in the one of the patient locations.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices in one of the patient locations has to control a plurality of features, and wherein the computer selectively enables activation of the feature if the hospital personnel is not present in the one of the patient locations.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices in one of the patient locations is a bed comprising:

patient controls to control a bed feature;

lockouts configured to prevent actuation of the patient controls based on a lockout status; and

wherein the computer is configured to prevent changes to the lockout status when the hospital personnel is not present in the one of the patient locations.

27. A method of controlling devices in a patient location, the method comprising:

associating the patient location to a patient;

associating devices having at least one control to the patient location;

determining the presence of hospital personnel in the patient location; and

altering the state of at least one control of the devices based the presence of hospital personnel.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of silencing an alarm associated with one of the devices when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step silencing an alarm associated with one of the devices when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location includes the steps of:

determining whether the hospital personnel is present in the patient location when the alarm is received; and

silencing the alarm after a predetermined amount of time if the hospital personnel is present in the patient location when the alarm is received.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

associating hospital personnel with the patient; and

associating hospital personnel with an alarm associated with one of the devices.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of silencing the alarm when the hospital personnel associated with the patient and associated with the alarm is present in the patient location.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of altering the state of at least one control of the devices based the presence of hospital personnel includes the step of preventing patient control of the devices when an alarm is received.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of altering the state of at least one control of the devices based the presence of hospital personnel includes the step of preventing patient control of the devices when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of altering the state of at least one control of the devices based the presence of hospital personnel includes the step of enabling patient control of the devices when the hospital personnel is present in the patient location.

35. A method of controlling devices in a patient location, the method comprising the steps of:

associating the patient location to a patient;

associating devices to the patient location;

associating alarms to the devices; and

altering the state of the devices based the presence of an alarm.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of altering the state of the devices based on the presence of an alarm includes the step of preventing patient control of the devices in the presence of an alarm.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of altering the state of the devices based on the presence of an alarm includes the steps of:

associating an alarm priority with the alarm; and

preventing patient control of selective devices based on the alarm priority.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of altering the state of the devices based on the presence of an alarm includes the steps of:

associating a priority with the alarm; and

altering the state of the devices based on the alarm priority.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the step of altering the state of the devices based on the presence of an alarm further includes the steps of:

associating an override condition to the device; and

not altering the state of the devices in the presence of an alarm if the override condition exists.

40. A hospital monitoring system for monitoring hospital personnel, a plurality of patient locations for patients, and associated devices having device states, comprising:

a locating and tracking system configured to locate and track hospital personnel located in the plurality of patient locations;

a computer coupled to the associated devices and the locating and tracking system, the computer configured to determine the presence of hospital personnel in the patient locations from the locating and tracking system, the computer including a database, the database comprising;

a patient database, the patient database associating each patient with a patient location;

a hospital personnel database, the hospital personnel database associating each hospital personnel with a class selected from a group of classes including at least two of a doctor, a nurse, an orderly, and a non-caregiver, the hospital personnel database further associating hospital personnel with a patient; and

an alarm database, the alarm database associating a plurality of alarms with a class of the hospital personnel required to respond the alarm, and the computer being configured to alter at least one device state based on the presence of hospital personnel in a required class in the patient location after an alarm is activated.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein each of the associated devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the hospital personnel associated with a class required by the alarm database is present in the patient location in which the associated device with the activated alarm is located.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein each of the associated devices has an associated alarm, and wherein the computer is configured to silence the alarm only when the required class of hospital personnel associated with the alarm is present in the patient location in which the associated device with the activated alarm is located.