Apparatus and method for presenting data and sending a message

• US 7,526,529 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascom (Sweden) AB (Ascom Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: GE Security Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Ping, Bixler, Craig S., Unluturk, Mehmet
• Primary Examiner(s): Won; Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/142,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/206, 709/207, 718/101, 706/924, 340/286.07, 340/539.12, 600/300, 705/3
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

An apparatus and method for receiving relevant data, presenting the relevant data to users, and enabling users to construct and route an outgoing message. Using this apparatus and method, hospitals can provide efficient and personalized service by viewing up-to-date information about each admitted patient and, if necessary, routing relevant portions of the information, via a text message, to those responsible for patient care.

Claims

1. A system for displaying patient data and for providing messages related to patient care, comprising:

a plurality of data sources, each coupled to a network, to provide source location data and patient status data;

a managing device, coupled to the network, including;

a transaction table device, in communication with each data source, to receive respective source location data and patient status data;

an electronic greaseboard device, in communication with the transaction table device, to display source location data and patient status data; and

a message generator, in communication with and initiated by the electronic greaseboard device, to generate patient care messages that include at least a patient name and message routing information; and

a plurality of messaging devices, coupled to the network, to receive and display patient care messages from the message generator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein data received by the transaction table device is at least a transaction, and the transaction table device stores a number of the transactions.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a system status table device in communication with the transaction table device, the electronic greaseboard device and the message generator, wherein the system status table device is configured to organize the transactions.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system status table device consists of a compilation of the transactions.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the system status table device is configured to provide data to the message generator and the electronic greaseboard device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the message generator is configured to enable a user to manually prescribe a content and a destination for the message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the message generator is configured to automatically prescribe a content and a destination for the message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the an interactive element automatically transmits pre-selected data to the message generator.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the message generator is configured to present data.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a router linked to the message generator and configured to route the message to one of the messaging devices.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data source is an admit discharge transfer system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the data source is a nurse call device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the data source is an automated monitoring device.

14. A method for communicating patient care messages to a caregiver, comprising:

receiving location data and patient status data from a data source;

storing the location data and the patient status data in a transaction table device;

transmitting the location data and the patient status data to an electronic greaseboard device;

displaying the location data and the patient status data to an operator;

selecting data from the displayed data;

generating a patient care message, based on the selected data, using a message generator, the patient care messages including at least a patient name and message routing information; and

routing the patient care message to a messaging device for display.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the message generator is configured to enable the operator to select among data to manually prescribe the message.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the message generator is configured to automatically prescribe a content for the message.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of organizing data received from the transaction table device in a system status table device.

18. An apparatus for providing messages related to patient care, comprising:

a transaction table device, coupled to a network, to receive transactions from a plurality of data sources, each transaction including source location data and patient status data;

a system status table device, linked to the transaction table device, to organize the transactions;

an electronic greaseboard device, linked to the transaction table device and the system status table device, to display the transactions; and

a message generator, coupled to the network and linked to the electronic greaseboard device, to generate patient care messages for transmission over the network, the patient care messages including at least a patient name and message routing information,

wherein, the electronic greaseboard includes an interactive element to initiate the message generator and automatically prescribe a content and a routing destination for the patient care message.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the transaction table device instantaneously provides the transactions to the electronic greaseboard device.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the system status table device is linked to the message generator and the electronic greaseboard device.