Remote access to healthcare device diagnostic information

• US 8,121,856 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Huster, Keith A., Glidewell, Patricia A., Allen, James M., Collins, Williams F. Jr., Riley, Carl William
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANAAN, MAROUN P
• Application Number:
  US11/426,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for remote diagnostic monitoring of a healthcare device, for example, a patient support system. The system includes a communication device configured to transmit sensor data received from a sensor system coupled to the patient support system and configured to generate sensor data relating to diagnostic information of the healthcare device. The communication device can also be configured to receive configuration data for configuring at least one of the healthcare device and the sensor system. The monitoring device is located geographically distant from the healthcare device, is coupled to the communication adapter by a datalink, for example, a telecommunication network, and is configured to receive the sensor data. The monitoring device is configured to determine, based on the received data, whether service or replacement of the healthcare device or a portion thereof is indicated.

Claims

1. A remote diagnostic monitoring system for a patient support system, the remote diagnostic monitoring system comprising:

a sensor system coupled to the patient support system and configured to generate sensor data relating to at least one parameter of the patient support system;

a communication adapter coupled to the sensor system and configured to transmit the sensor data;

a nurse call system coupled to the patient support system via the communication adapter; and

a monitoring device located geographically distant from the patient support system, coupled to the communication adapter by a first datalink, and configured to receive the sensor data and determine a diagnostic status of the patient support system based on the received sensor data, wherein the monitoring device transmits updated firmware to the patient support system via the communication adapter for changing programming of the patient support system, wherein at least some of the sensor data generated by the sensor system is communicated to the nurse call system via the communication adapter, wherein the monitoring device receives a user request for a specific subset of data from among a plurality of available subsets of data, wherein the monitoring device communicates the user request to the patient support system via the communication adapter and the patient support system responds to the user request by transmitting to the monitoring device via the communication adapter the specific subset of data without transmitting other subsets of data of the plurality of available subsets of data, wherein the specific subset of data relates to at least one of a position of a portion of a bed frame and a feature of an air mattress.

2. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the first datalink includes at least one of a telecommunication network and the Internet.

3. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a second datalink coupling the sensor system and the communication adapter.

4. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the second datalink includes a wireless communication connection.

5. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the communication adapter is configured to convert the sensor data from a first protocol used by the sensor system to a second protocol used by at least one of the first data link, the second data link, and the monitoring device.

6. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the second protocol includes at least one of XML and TCP/IP.

7. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the first datalink further includes a healthcare facility network and a server of the healthcare facility network.

8. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the communication adapter includes at least one of a webserver and network portal.

9. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data relates to at least one of vibration, displacement, rate, component temperature, ambient temperature, component humidity, ambient humidity, thermal loading, pressure, noise, mechanical load, current, voltage, electrical power, signal signature, calibration values, transit time, fault rate, logic or communication error, and accumulated usage.

10. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor system monitors at least one of a drive, a user control, a caregiver control, an air system, a movable member, a power supply, a battery, a load cell, control logic, a communication circuit, a sensor and a cycle counter.

11. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to determine based on the sensor data whether service or replacement of the healthcare device or a portion thereof is indicated.

12. The remote diagnostic monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the monitoring device is configured to transmit a message relating to service or replacement of the healthcare device to the healthcare facility where the healthcare device is located.

13. The remote diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the communication adapter comprises a first protocol converter coupled to the patient support system and configured for transmission and protocol conversion of diagnostic information between a first communication protocol used by the patient support system and a second communication protocol;

and a communication device configured to receive the diagnostic information and transmit the diagnostic information to the remote monitoring device.

14. The remote diagnostic system of claim 13, wherein the communication adapter further comprises a second protocol converter coupled to the first protocol converter and configured for transmission and protocol conversion of diagnostic information between the second communication protocol and a third communication protocol.

15. The remote diagnostic system of claim 13, wherein the diagnostic information relates to a parameter of a component of the patient support system, the parameter relating to at least one of vibration, displacement, rate, component temperature, ambient temperature, component humidity, ambient humidity, thermal loading, pressure, noise, mechanical load, current, voltage, electrical power, signal signature, calibration values, transit time, fault rate, logic or communication error, and accumulated usage.

16. The remote diagnostic system of claim 13, wherein the diagnostic information relates to at least one of a status of a drive, a user control, a caregiver control, an air system, a movable member, a power supply, a battery, a load cell, control logic, a communication circuit, a sensor, and a cycle counter.

17. A method of remotely monitoring a hospital bed, comprising:

sensing with a sensor of the hospital bed data relating to at least one parameter of the hospital bed;

converting with a communication interface the data for transmission;

transmitting from the communication interface the data over a telecommunication network;

receiving the data in a computer device at a geographically remotely located monitoring system that is coupled to the telecommunication network;

receiving in a nurse call system at least some of the data transmitted from the communication interface; and

determining with the computer device based on the received data whether service or replacement of the hospital bed is indicated, wherein the computer device transmits updated firmware to the hospital bed via the communication interface for changing programming of the hospital bed, wherein the computer device receives a user request for a specific subset of data from among a plurality of available subsets of data, wherein the computer device communicates the user request to the patient support system via the communication adapter and the patient support system responds to the user request by transmitting to the computer device via the communication adapter the specific subset of data without transmitting other subsets of data of the plurality of available subsets of data, wherein the specific subset of data relates to at least one of a position of a portion of a bed frame and a feature of an air mattress.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting a message relating to service or replacement of the hospital bed to a healthcare facility where the hospital bed is located.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting to a healthcare asset management entity an order for one of service or replacement of the hospital bed.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the data relates to at least one of a vibration, a displacement, a rate, a component temperature, an ambient temperature, a component humidity, an ambient humidity, a thermal loading, a pressure, a noise, a mechanical load, a current, a voltage, an electrical power, a signal signature, a calibration values, a transit time, a fault rate, a logic or communication error, an accumulated usage, a drive, a user control, a caregiver control, an air system, a movable member, a power supply, a battery, a load cell, control logic, a communication circuit, a sensor, and a cycle counter.